Person's Unknown
by IceBlade28
Summary: A final, parting note . . .
1. Chapter I: Fevers And Bad Luck

Person's Unknown

An unknown stranger has been following the camp for some time . . . and somehow always manages to evade capture! I will be doing this from several peoples P.O.V, and this is the first. Enjoy! 

The first three chapters take place in between 16 (Eliwood's) and 16X (Side Quest).

P.S Until the intruders name is revealed, I'll use the letter 'X' to describe its name.

**Prologue: A Sparring Accident**

The whish and clang of swords filled the afternoon air. Marcus was training with Lowen . . . again. Lowen looked up briefly from his sparring match, and gazed into the trees. That peculiar itching feeling again, like there was something wrong, or someone watching . . .

"LOWEN! What have I told you!" bellowed Marcus angrily, gripping his own sword tightly. "You take your eyes off your opponent for even one second, and it will kill you! Do not let your inexperience be the downfall of an army, boy!" Lowen jerked in surprise.

"Y-yes, General M-Marcus!" Lowen whirled his sword again. No time to be daydreaming, he told himself irritably. Not on the battlefield. Lowen paused, once again deep in thought. Hadn't someone said that before? Maybe one of the Sacaen's . . .

Lowen received a rude awakening when the flat of Marcus' steel sword smashed into his temple, and floored him in one move. He didn't even feel himself crash to the grass, or hear his sword clatter on his faded yellow armour as it bounced off him and thudded on the field.

"If a light blow like that is enough to knock you over, then you're going to be absolutely useless as a knight!" Lowen did not get up. Marcus rolled his eyes. "Get up, Lowen!" Still no response from the Swift Knight.

Marcus bit his lip, stabbed his sword into the dirt and rushed over. Placing a gauntleted hand to Lowen's neck, he shook his head. The boy was out like a light. Well, Marcus scolded himself. You did let your temper get the better of you, and even though the gruffness was all part of the training, the poor knight would have a splitting headache when he came to. Marcus turned and looked at the spot Lowen was staring at earlier. Nothing but tree branches and leaves. The general snorted and turned back to his protégé.

Behind him, a camoflauged shape moved swiftly out of its hiding spot in the tree, dropped to the ground, and snuck away through the bushes.

**Chapter I : Fevers And Bad Luck**

Eliwood was, at that moment, enjoying a rather succulent baked pudding- made by Merlinus, of all people! Marcus had suggested them, after tasting them himself. Finishing off the treat, he frowned. "Remind me that I need to see Lowen in the infirmary." he spoke to the wind.

"O-okay . . ." came a voice from right behind the Lord's back. Eliwood leapt high in the air, whipping out his rapier and turning hard. "Yaaa-aaaahh!" he cried. He paused when he saw just who had crept up behind him, and reddened to the colour of his hair in sheer embarrassment.

Florina was crouched behind him, crying softly. Her soft purple hair hid her face, but there was no doubting the uniform and colour of Florina's hair to give away her identity.

"Florina! I'm so sorry! Please . . ." Florina curled up into a tighter ball at his approach, and Eliwood felt even worse.

"I'm sorry. I know how you're timid around men. If you'll accept my apologies, I'll leave you be." Feeling about as low as the mud, the Pheraen turned to leave, his cape fluttering slightly from the breeze that came in through his tent. He should have known by her voice! No-one else in the army was that shy, and- He froze in horror. Lyndis. She was not going to be happy with him after scaring her like that.

"L-lord Eliwood . . .?" said Florina, slowly uncurling. "I . . . I'm s-s-sorry I scared you. It's just . . ." Eliwood turned around, happy that he might escape the vengeful wrath of his Sacaen friend. Florina slowly stood up, and brushed her hair away from her face. For the first time, Eliwood could see into her eyes, and the teal colour seemed vivid through unshed tears.

"I'm . . . Its that, well . . ." she stammered. Eliwood slowly approached her, almost as though she were a frightened rabbit. "It's alright," he said soothingly. "I don't blame you. I was just a little surprised- I thought I was alone." Florina placed her head against his chest, and wrapped her arms around him lovingly. Eliwood froze. This was an unusually affectionate gesture towards Eliwood. It was when Florina placed a soft kiss on his lips that he noticed two things: Goosebumps had lined her arms and, though Eliwood couldn't see it, probably her legs, and-

There was a large cut on her face, near her temple. Eliwood focused on it, wincing at the sight. It was as long as his index finger, and bright yellow with infection. He quickly drew her close and pressed a hand to her forehead. It was burning hot to the touch, but Florina took this as a signal, and so snuggled further into his chest, making herself comfortable. But at the same time . . .

"Florina!" he barked. "You're feverish! Burning up!" Florina smiled softly.

"I'm so cold, though . . . Lord Eli- . . ." Her eyelids fluttered, and she collapsed to the floor.

"Florina!" he shouted, crouching down. She didn't respond. Eliwood threw off his gloves and checked her pulse, just as Marcus had taught him to do so long ago. It was rapid- far too rapid. He scooped her up gently, her soft hair dangling over his arm. She was so light, and so small- almost like a doll. Without hesitating, he charged outside and headed for the healer's tent.

**Six hours later, during the night.**

Kent woke suddenly, sweat dripping from his brow.

"Just a dream." he whispered to the dark. "It was just a dream." The Crimson Shield flopped on his back, and sighed. "Just a dream." Kent closed his eyes for a moment. Sain, meanwhile, was snoring loudly. Kent jerked, and sat up.

"Sain," he uttered. The only reply was snoring. "Sain." he said louder. Snore. Kent crawled over to his companion and shook him. "SAIN!" he shouted, then winced. That may have woken someone else up. Sain flinched, and opened his eyes.

"Whaat? Kent! Oh, come on!" Kent was already up and strapping on his armour.

"It's our watch, remember?" reminded Kent, pulling on his gauntlet. "I tried not to." moaned Sain, rolling over. Kent rolled his eyes and kicked his friend.

"Ow!" Sain whispered. "You have your armour on, Kent!" Kent glanced at his feet, and saw the red armour on. "Sain, get up." he said unrepentedly. "And I want you in full armour. If your not out here in ten minutes, I'm coming in after you." Sain rolled over and let out a muffled groan.

"Unbelievable," muttered Kent as he strode to the armoury tent. "Sometimes I wonder how on earth Lady Lyndis puts up with him . . ." Wordlessly he took a pack of javelins and slipped it onto his back. After pausing to shift the weight of the missiles to a more comfortable position, he walked calmly to the watchers post.   
"I've come to relieve the watch." said Kent to the two dark figures. Wil and Rebecca turned to him.

"Where's your part-part-part-partner?" said Wil, unable to stifle a yawn. Kent offered him a rare smile and ruffled the Pheraen's hair.

"He's coming. Or at least, he should be." he said, looking behind him and frowning. There was no sign of the Green Lance. Kent ground his teeth. "I'm here, though. You two can go off to bed." Rebecca gave him a sleepy smile and got to her feet.

"C'mon, Wil." she whispered, walking past Kent. Wil followed suite, and Kent was soon alone on the ridge.   
"Where is that incorrigible-" but he soon stopped, as he saw a green figure striding up the path towards him, a lance balanced on his shoulder. Sain ran his fingers through his bangs and sat on the hill next to his partner, sighing.

"Nice night." he said, pointing at the twinkling stars. Kent gave him a strange look; it wasn't often that Sain commented on nature. "Too bad we can't spend it _asleep_!" finished the knight, glaring at Kent. He rolled his eyes. "Lady Lyndis gave us our orders, and as knights of Caelin we are sworn to carry out those- what was that?" Kent's hand shot to his pack of javelin. Sain smirked. "Quit trying to freak me out, Kent. It won't work." Kent was in no joking mood, however, staring like a hawk at a place about halfway up a tree which stood out near the bottom of the hill. Slowly removing a missile from his pack, he readied it, never taking his eyes from his supposed target.

"Wake Lady Lyndis." he told his friend in a stern voice. "And then get back here as fast as you can. Quickly, Sain!" Sain took one look at his friend and shot back towards the camp, headed for the tent of his lady and liege. There was no joking with Kent when he got like that; in fact, there usually wasn't much joking with him anyway, thought Sain irritably.

X watched a red-armoured knight come up to the twin archers, and, after a short conversation, the two archers trundled down the opposite side of the hill, out of sight. X grinned. Perfect. No ranged attacks. Slowly, the watcher began to climb down the tree he was hiding in, when a twig snapped against his ribs, making him gasp audibly. He froze instantly. Had he been heard? Worse, had he been seen? He stood stock still, his gaze never leaving the red knight, or his green-armoured companion that had joined him. X breathed a sigh of relief. He could assume, for the most part, that he was undetected. He resumed his climb back down the tree, when his camoflaged cloak got snagged on a branch. X cursed. He was no longer hidden! He could be seen!

Kent smiled. "Gotcha." he whispered, and he launched the javelin with all his might, imediately pulling out a spare.

X saw the javelin shoot towards him. He sighed, annoyed.

"Really, _really_ not a good time!" he whispered fiercely, ripping at the cloak with strength born of desperation. The combined force of his pulling and the javelin Kent had thrown was enough to shred the valuable cloak and send X plummeting to the ground. He landed hard at the bottom of the hill, winded.

"Yes!" hissed Kent, throwing another javelin at the much closer and more prominent target. "Where are you, Sain? And where's Lady Lyndis?" The intruder was getting up; Kent decided there was no time left.

X got to his feet, and saw the red-armoured knight charging down the hill towards him. He smirked. The knights bravery was admirable; overall: Stupid, but very noble. Turning heel, X ran into the dark forest, dimly aware of the hiss and thunk of javelins around him and the growing clamour and lights behind him.

Kent charged after his quarry; not even waiting for his lady or the two archers whom he had previously released. Lyn skidded to a halt at the bottom of the hill.

"Kent!" she called, but the cavalier was either out of earshot or ignoring her. Turning behind her, she saw the knight's companion barely three paces behind her.

"Sain!" she said, grabbing his arm as he ran past. Unfortunately, this action swung Sain around, and he crashed into Lyn. The Green Lance stumbled a few steps, but Lyn flew backwards and landed on her chest on the hillside. Sain ran over, unconsciously admiring his employer's curvy form.

"Milady, are you okay?" he said concernedly. Lyn jumped up, unsheathing her sword.

"C'mon! We've got to catch up to Kent!" Sain nodded, watching Lyn's sleek blue form make its way through the dark wood, the famed Mani Katti, Sword of Spirits, glowing as she ran.

X ran hard through the forest, panting already. For a cavalier, this one had near inexhaustible stamina- it would be a shame to kill him.

Kent put on a burst of speed, the javelin in his hand dropping to the ground unconsciously. Kent judged the distance . . . now! He propelled himself off a log and into a flying tackle, catching his opponent around the head.

X fell to the ground, the red knight on top of him. Utilizing some of his more complex escaping skills, he wriggled out from under the pursuer and crouched for a second- just as Lyn and Sain flew over him as they hurdled the log.

Both skidded to a stop and advanced, along with Kent, using his javelin as a small lance. Grimly, X bit his lip. This would be difficult, but he could probably take them all on. Unsheathing a dirk, he leapt to attack, thrusting hard at the Sacaen woman in blue.

Lyn swung her sword, parrying gracefully as Sain and Kent lunged at his side, weapons at the fore. X turned the parry into an opportunity, grabbing her wrist and using it as a lever to cleanly somersault over her. In a one in a hundred chance, the tips of each of the cavalier's weapons collided, splintering and snapping. X grunted as a sliver slashed him beneath his eye, and grabbed Lyn and swung his sword to her throat. Kent froze, watching the assailant keep the blade close to her throat, while the other hand swiftly found a pressure point on her hand and squeezed hard. The Sacaen gasped in pain, and the Mani Katti fell from her hands as easily as though she had dropped it.

"Keep back." X said warily, watching the two knights try to circle around him. "Admittedly, I do have some qualms about slaying the Noblewoman of Caelin, but I probably won't hesitate to do it." Sain peered at X's face, which pased briefly out of the shadows as he manouvered backwards.

"Hey, you're just a kid! Probably no older than Wil!" X frowned. "Who's Wil?" Kent took advantage of the distraction from the conversation to twirl his javelin and hurl it. It smashed into X's face butt first, and clattered to the ground. Blood streamed down his face and dripped onto Lyn's shoulder, but he did not move. As the javelin hit his face, Sain charged forward, the spilintered tip of his lance closing fast. X took a chance and stomped on the hilt of the Mani Katti. The blade flipped up and cut deep into the side of Sain's face. He screamed, dropping the lance and retreating a few steps while holding a badly bleeding face. During this action, no reaction came whatsoever from the hostage taker. Instead, he grinned.

"Good throw, Kent. It a-a-achoo! (He sneezed from the blood that was bubbling around and up his nose.) Caught me off guard, that's for sure. And Sain, you were good too. Although I probably should confess something: When I flipped the sword up and it hit you in the face, that was just plain luck- nothing more." Sain looked darkly at X, who still had the sword to Lyn's throat. X sighed. "Ah well." He turned to his captive.

"Lyndis, I don't want to harm you. So I won't. Bye." The next part happened almost too fast to see. X scruffed Lyn and threw her into Sain, who caught her deftly. Unfortunately, the momentum forced Sain to topple backwards, and Lyn landed rather uncomfortably on the log. Throwing the dagger both hard and accurately at Kent, X turned heel and vanished into the night. The dagger stuck fast into Kent's breastplate, and he stood there and stared at it.

"Wait!" cried Lyn, getting up from the log. The shadow froze, and the darkness spoke. "Yes?" Compassion was written all over her face, as well as curiosity. "Are you Black Fang? Or even in the employ of Bern or Laus? Please, why did you spare my life?" X paused.

"No. I am not Black Fang, or with Bern or Laus." Lyn called out in desperation. "Then who are you? Kent," She warned, watching him stalk the enemy. "Don't!" The knight reluctantly withdrew. Lyn quickly looked back to where her assailant had been. There was nothing, but a soft voice echoed from the trees around them.

"You will know shortly."

And he vanished without a trace.

Okay, this might seem like a short chapter, but there's going to be about fifteen or twenty of these- go figure. So what did you think? R&R, please. It really helps. Next Chapter: Serra and Lucius meet, and a 'battle of the sexes' occurs. Rebecca meets Raven, Priscilla makes Erk go to sleep, and X reappears . . . and kills someone! (I won't say who. Evil laugh echoes. )


	2. Chapter II: Mistaken Identities

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter.

Lowen and Marcus were sparring, when Lowen spotted something in the trees behind Marcus. Marcus unthinkigly flattened Lowen, and the thing Lowen had seen ran off. Kent and Sain replaced Wil and Rebecca for the night watch, when Kent spotted the spy. Lyn, Wil, and Rebecca gave chase to Sain who gave chase to Kent who chased after the spy into the woods. There, Lyn was taken hostage, and a surprising new fact was revealed about this mystery person. And thanks all for the reviews! 00

**Chapter II: Mistaken Identities**

The next morning, Serra was feeling a little grumpy. Erk had declined her invitation to share tents with her, preferring to share with Priscilla, his 'escortee', and Serra got stuck with this blonde-haired girl called Lucis or something. Still, at least she was a cleric, like herself. Serra sighed as she carefully did her hair up into their usual ponytails. When would Erk come about and worship her for her beauty and intelligence? She wanted it so badly . . . come to think of it, when would everyone _else_ start to worship her? She had been praying to Saint Elimine about this for ages, but it never happened! She fingered the large jade stone in her hair, but the fact that she had _found_ such a precious treasure did little to ease her temper. Just as Serra was moving into the larger part of her silent tirade, Lucius tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sister Serra? Is now a bad time?" Serra jumped, spinning around. "What? What do you want?" she cried, both surprised and a little annoyed at being interrupted. Okay, a lot annoyed. Lucius was crouching over, cradling one side of his face in agony.

"Lucis? Are you okay?" Serra asked nervously.

"Yes, Sister Serra, I think so. When you spun around like that, the large ornamental stone in your hair hit me in the eye." Lucius straightened up and revealed a bruised and swollen eye. Serra covered her mouth with her hands.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Here, let me heal that!" Serra immediately grabbed her staff and waved it in front of her tentmate. The bruise cleared up in a few seconds, and Lucius blinked.

"Thank you, Sister Serra. It feels much better." Serra grinned, her old self returning.

"Just don't make the mistake that I'm used to hurting and healing my female tentmates, especially ones that are almost as adorable as me!" Lucius looked confused. Serra eyed him up and down.

"Well . . ." she said, walking around him, taking in every aspect of his body. "You definitely have a good face, and how do you keep your hair so straight?" she said, running her fingers through his hair lovingly. Lucius stiffened. He was a monk in the service of Saint Elimine; he could not allow himself to be attracted to those of the opposite sex. Serra walked back around to his front, and placed her hands on his waist. "You have almost no hips though, Lucis! And no waist at all!" Her hands slid up his body, and a bead of sweat appeared on the monk's forehead. Serra frowned, and a tiny seed of doubt appeared in the back of her mind.

"You have practically no breasts either, and your arms and shoulders are really thick! How much did you work out as a young girl!" Lucius had had enough, and there was basically one way to stop this.

"Sister Serra, do you mind if I get changed?" Serra backed away, grinning. "Okay, but keep in mind you're to stay away from me in the camp- I don't want any attention taken away from _me_!" Lucius nodded, and he took off his shirt, exposing his muscular torso. Serra's eyes widened, and she began to sweat. Lucius turned to her. "As you can see, Sister Serra, I am no cleric, and nor am I a female. I am a humble _monk_ in the service of Saint Elimine. I bid you good day."

And with that, he threw on a clean shirt and strode out of their tent. Serra was left staring at the open tent flap for a good ten seconds before flopping over on her back in a dead faint.

Rebecca peered at the cookbook, her hands covered in flour. "Add two eggs and stir . . ." Quickly and skilfully, Rebecca cracked the eggs against the bowl and deposited the yolk inside. Her teeth chattering, she glanced around, hoping to see a coat or something to keep herself warm; it was cold and drizzly outside, and just plain cold in here. Silently she went on with her chore, not even noticing when Raven came in.

"I thought you might be cold." he said, draping his cloak around her. Rebecca jerked in surprise, accidently knocking the bowl off its place. "Oh, no! Catch it!" The mercenary dropped to the ground and caught the bowl just before it spilled. Carefully resuming his upright position, the mercenary handed the bowl back to her.

"Thank you so much, Raven! I would have had to start all over again if I'd spilt it!" Raven looked in her emerald eyes, confused. "What is it?" Rebecca asked, her gaze locked with his. Raven suddenly felt awkward; this was probably the longest conversation he had carried on with a female, except for his sister Priscilla. Besides, this archer seemed so . . . he couldn't think of a word. Enticing, perhaps. Enchanting, possibly. But there was something about this girl, Raven admitted, that held him captive.

"Its just . . . how do you keep so happy?" Rebecca looked hurt, and then distant, as though she was asking herself this very question. "I don't know." she said at last. "I guess it just feels nicer to be happy than it does to be sad or angry or-" she looked into his eyes, losing herself in them, and she didn't hear herself speak the next words.

"-or alone." Raven blinked, shattering the spell.

"The army's getting hungry." he said, turning to leave. "You'd better hurry up."

The rain was still going as he opened the tent flap and left. Rebecca suddenly began stirring feverishly, trying to shake off the strange feelings she had. Why did his words bother her so much, and at the same time, why was it that she felt so attracted to him?

Erk awoke later that morning, and he blearily opened his eyes. There was a weight on the left side of his bed, and he slowly turned his head to see what it was.

Priscilla was sitting there, slowly stroking his purple hair in what seemed to Erk to be a caring, even affectionate way.

"Erk, are you awake?" Erk nodded dreamily. "Yes, Lady Priscilla," he mumbled. "I am awake. But I must ask: Why are you stroking my hair?" Priscilla frowned, and she looked hurt.

"Does it bother you?" Erk shook his head as quickly as his fatigued condition allowed.

"No, no, Lady Priscilla, it does not. It feels very nice." She smiled warmly.

"Then I shall continue." Erk closed his eyes, feeling her slender fingers slowly run through his hair. It really was the most pleasant feeling. Erk frowned, and Priscilla saw his forehead wrinkle.

"Lady Priscilla, what time is it?" Priscilla ran a hand over his forehead, smoothing out his wrinkles. To him it felt as though a weighted piece of silk was running over his face. "It's quite late in the morning, about ten or ten thirty. You missed breakfast." Erk tried to sit up, but Priscilla pressed against him, and pushed him back into bed.

"Lady Priscilla, I am afraid that I must protest. I wish to get up, and also to bathe and eat." The troubadour frowned.

"Erk, it seems there is no deceiving you. I was attempting to lull you back to sleep so I could get changed without the worry of you . . . well . . . watching me." Erk was now wide awake, and began to laugh.

"Please, Lady Priscilla! I would never look!" Priscilla looked extremely hurt and offended. Erk immediately recognised his mistake. "That is, Lady Priscilla, you are definitely a beauty, but I-" he cut himself off, realizing he was talking himself into somewhere he didn't want to be. He shook his head. "I was assigned to protect you, and that also means to keep you happy. I would never look." Priscilla smiled in a satisfying way. Erk frowned again. "I am hungry, though. Maybe later . . . hunh? I feel so . . . sleepy . . ." Erk had soon dropped off again. Priscilla put her Sleep staff to the side, smiling at her gently snoring escort. With Erk trailing her, there was no way she would have been able to get on with her plans. Priscilla looked guiltily at his slumbering form. She would leave him some lunch.

Guy ground his teeth in frustration. How on earth did Matthew justify that attacking him at night was an honourable match! As soon as he found that elusive demon, he snarled, he would give him such a flaying he wouldn't be able to stand up! Guy paused as he reflected on their words, shared with plenty of hate in the dark confines of his tent . . .

(Flashback)

"_Ah, Guy." began Matthew. "Too bad about the fight, eh?" _

"_Y-you--"_

"_What?" asked the thief, smirking. "Got a problem? Guy narrowed his eyes, the anger obvious on his face._

"_Y-you're a coward attacking me in my sleep like that! Your sword is without honor! You hear me!" Matthew smiled again. It was too easy to get a rise out of the Sacaen, and the best part was that he hadn't broken his word._

"_What do I care? I'm no knight. Speaking of knights . . . How do you expect to succeed getting taken in by a simple night attack?" Guy was lost for words._

"_Yes, b-but . . .!" _

"_Listen, Guy. said the Ositian. "There's a story about a famous knight you should know:_

_One day this knight received a challenge. His opponent named a time and a place, and he agreed. Then, when his opponent turned to walk off, he cut him down right then and there."_

"_That's cowardice!" argued Guy stubbornly. Matthew rolled his eyes._

"_No! You just don't get it, do you Guy! His opponent was weak to turn his back on the enemy. That is the true nature of combat! Would YOU stand on the battlefield, calling your enemy a coward?"_

"_Y-yes, but . . . F-fine! I get it! I lost! Fine!" Guy stammered. Matthew smiled wider than all the other times before._

"_Good. Now you owe me four favors!" Guy growled, and his eyes were fiery even in the dark._

"_Grr . . . I won't lose next time."_

(End flashback).

Guy gripped his killing edge tight, peering at some bushes. Something didn't look right there, there was some part of the bush that didn't seem to blend as well as the rest of the twigs and leaves. Guy smirked- it had to be Matthew. Slowly, he picked up a rock twice the size of his fist from the ground and hurled it at the shape. It struck, and a satisfactory grunt of pain came from the shape.

"Matthew!" Guy roared, letting all his anger out. "It's time for the fight! I'll not lose again to your trickery!" The shape stood still. Guy was getting impatient. "Come on!" he yelled.

"As you wish." came the voice, and a figure back-flipped out of the bushes. Guy froze. That wasn't Matthew's voice . . .

And here the chapter ends! Just kidding! ;D Read on . . .

X landed in front of Guy, unsheathing his dirk. The enemy grimaced.

"I'll commend you for spotting me, Guy. But, I wonder . . . is your eyesight as sharp as your sword?" Guy was speechless. "You're the one . . . the one they were hunting last night." X smirked. "Correct. It will be both a pleasure and possibly a challenge to kill you." Guy bit his lip, holding his sword tight. Then a crafty look came into his eye.

"Lord Hector! Lord Eliwood! Lady Lyndis! He's here! The intruder-" he bellowed at the top of his voice. X moved in for the attack, thrusting at Guy's head. He parried smartly and slashed back at the spy. X grinned, and spoke. "Well done. You, at least, seem to know what you're doing. Your swordplay is quite good. But open up a little. Let's see what a Sacaen myrmidon is _really_ capable of!" With that, X attacked. Keeping up a flurry of strokes, the spy seemed to have ten arms- the mark of an expert. Guy blocked, parried, and riposted enough to make any swordsman proud, and he moved with all the grace and speed and beauty of the wind. Guy knew that in a few seconds, he would lose himself in the swordplay, as all Sacaens were taught to do. X grinned, though he was panting hard as he blocked a slash to his back and to his neck in two swift moves: he had anticipated this. Judging the moment, he suddenly rolled to the left and swiped upward in a vicious diagonal sweep. Guy could not, no matter how he tried, change direction in mid-air at that speed, so he tried a feeble thrust. His stab missed X, and Guy felt the keen blade of his adversary cut through his clothes and plunge deep into his side. He crashed to the ground, momentum pulling the blade out of his side. X stood up, machine-like in every feature. Guy lay for a few moments, then struggled to his feet, blood dripping through the fabric of his clothes. X stood his ground a few feet away from the injured myrmidon.

"Impressive. Very, very impressive. Not many people can get up after a hit like the one that I gave you. And you move so gracefully; like the evening zephys, but with considerably more deadliness. It will be a shame to kill you, Guy." Guy growled.

"If I must die, I will leave you a scar to remember me by!" And with eye-blurring speed, performed a spectacular somersault towards his opponent and slashed with all his might.

A giant wound appeared on X's chest, almost as wide as three fingers and as long as his forearm. X grunted, and sank to one knee. Guy panted hard.

"See? I am . . . strong . . . I can still live . . . I have need of living . . . Urrg!"

X plunged his sword straight through Guy's chest, the tip poking out the other side. With a savage growl, he ripped the sword from out of the Sacaens body, which promptly collapsed. Gasping, the winner struggled upright.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, Guy. Really, I am." X began cleaning his blade on a nearby bush when a quiet voice sounded from Guy.

"You . . . will . . . never . . . survive . . . while . . . I . . . live . . ." X spun around, clutching his dirk fearfully.

But the only trace of Guy was a scuffed-up patch of land and some bloodstained leaves.

Here the chapter really DOES end. Comments? R&R? Sorry I had to have someone practically killed in the second chapter, but it worked out well. At least, that's what I think. Will Rebecca sort out her feelings? What are Priscilla's plans? Is Guy alive? WHO IS 'X'? (How will Serra deal with a male tentmate?) The tactician is mentioned in the next chapter. Her name is Kaira, and she is Anima affinity. Also, we find out what happened to Florina and whether or not Lowen has a concussion. (Snicker.)


	3. Chapter III: Nightmares Are Not Visions

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter:

Serra and Lucius wound up tentmates, leading to a surprise . . . of sorts. Rebecca isn't sure how to comprehend the strange emotions she's feeling after a visit from Raven, and Erk had a nice (though unexpected) treat from Priscilla, which he thoroughly enjoyed. At least until Priscilla knocked him out (made him go to sleep) with a Sleep staff. And last but not least, Guy went mano-a-mano with X . . . and lost.

**Chapter III: Nightmares Are Not Premonitions . . . Or Are They?**

Florina was in a dark cavern, with torches adorning the far walls. It was massive, like a mountain had been hollowed out. Pits of lava bubbled all around, and Florina looked around frantically.

"Huey! . . . . Huuueeeyyy! Where are you, Huey? Why did you fly off like that? . . ." she called, her voice bouncing around the structure, creating a suitably 'creepy' effect. "Lady Lyndis?" she called tentatively. "Lady Lyndis?" Florina called, looking around her with frightened eyes. There was no answer. She was alone, inside a giant volcano. She wandered over to a particularly large pool of molten rock, coming as close as the ambient heat would allow her. The light from the inferno was dazzling, and the heat was almost painful. Florina watched in wonderment . . . until she heard footsteps behind her. Spinning around, she clutched her lance to her like a small child clutches his or her favourite toy.

A giant berserker was making a beeline for her, with an axe easily twice the size of her over his shoulders. His arms were as thick as Florina's entire body, and he was easily eight or nine feet tall. Behind him, a legion of ghostly followers as far as the eye coculd see. They quickly surrounded her, their barbaric weapons held in front. Florina was completely trapped, and she was more scared than she had ever been, in her life. Tears rolled down her face unchecked, only to evaporate before reaching her nose. The berserker strode through the ghosts until he was in front of the tiny Pegasus Knight. Florina could see the army's staring eyes, but the worst was yet to come-

Every person in that army was deceased. Looking around, Florina saw, to her horror, the undead face of her protector, Lady Lyndis. Black blood had dried around her eyes, and she looked gaunt and haggard. Her face was horribly disfigured by scars and open wounds. Florina cried harder, spotting almost everyone she knew trapped in the abominable legions of the dead. Kent, Wil, Sain, Fiora, Lord Eliwood, Rebecca, Serra, Erk, even Farina, her long-lost sister, were all ghoulishly animated in this dance of destruction. Florina looked meekly up into the eyes of the berserker, clutching her heart in agony- it was going faster than she thought possible. The berserkers hair was a faded blue, and the only creature of flesh and blood inside this hellish cave. Blue hair? Could it be?

"Lord Hector? Is that you?" The giant figure's eyes flashed red, and it hefted it's axe.

"I am Durbans!" it bellowed. "You have trespassed, and you will die!" Florina darted backward as the axe crashed into the dirt in front of her. Florina shrieked in pain, clutching her heart, as-

As the entire shelf of dirt collapsed, sending her tumbling into the pool of liquid fire and rock. She gave out one final scream, louder than ever, when a male voice sounded in her ears:

"Some . . one. Ple-please . . . I . . . need . . ." said the voice, shaking with pain. A body came into view, with a giant hole in its chest. It was the body of what looked to be an Etrurian, but it might have been a Sacaen or an Ilian- it was too dark to determine the clothing. Florina shouted in fear, when she jerked up.

"Florina! It's okay! It's okay! It's me! Serra! You just had a nightmare! It's okay!" Florina looked around wildly.

"S-serra?" she quavered, reaching out to her. Serra took her hand and hugged her, a gesture more friendly than she may have been ready to give, but hey. The poor girl had been sweating buckets, and screaming loud enough to wake the dead. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

"It was terrible. A giant cave, with ghosts and death and- you. You were dead." Serra frowned.

"I was dead! That's not fair!" she complained as Florina began to softly weep. "Lady Lyndis was dead, and Kent and Sain and everyone I knew, and they were staring, and Lord Hector was trying to kill me and-" Serra hugged her tighter.

"Ssshhh. It's okay. It was just a dream." she whispered. Florina looked around, and saw Lowen on the opposite bed. "Who's he? Is he okay? Where am I?" Serra glanced over at the Pheraen knight. "Oh, that's Lowen- one of Lord Eliwood's guardsmen. He took a blow to the head when he was sparring with General Marcus, and he's been out like a light almost all day now." Florina touched a hand to her head in pain, and felt a large scab on her temple. "How did this happen?" she said. Serra peered at it in the dark.

"I was hoping you could tell me. Lord Eliwood brought you over yesterday morning, and you were feverish. You didn't know what you were doing before he brought you here, and you-" Serra grinned slyly.

"-And you kissed Lord Eliwood on the lips. And you tried to snuggle him." Florina shivered in her soaked covers, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the tent.

"Can I have an extra blanket?" she mumbled, her face burning with embarassment. She was almost positive the cleric could see it glowing in the dark. Serra grinned as she pulled one down from its resting place. "Here you go. And I suggest you bathe in the morning, the fever made you sweat non-stop. You may want some water, you'll probably be dehydrated." Florina found she was parched. "Okay." she rasped. Serra filled up a canteen from the bowl of blessed water she and . . . that troubadour, she thought darkly, kept in the healer's tent. Florina drained the canteen three times, before saying she was still thirsty. Serra shook her head. "Sorry, Florina, but I can't give you any more. If you drink too much water that hasn't been recently blessed by the followers of Saint Elimine, you start bloating up like crazy. You can literally double your size, and easily too. I take it you still want to fit into your clothes . . .?" Florina nodded, feeling disgusting and dirty and a little fearful as she shrank back into the sweat-soaked sheets. "And I definitely don't have the energy to bless some in the middle of the night," continued Serra, unawares. "Not after the awakening you gave me. And I think there's something else that sets it off. The bloating, that is. I think if you-" Florina decided that she wasn't going to be able to sleep, not like this.

"Serra, is there a stream or a river around?" she whispered. Serra paused. "Yes, I think so. Why?" Florina threw off her sheets, flooding the tent with a gungy smell. "Because we can . . . that is, we might . . . we could, well . . . bathe now, and we can w-wash the sheets too?" she said meekly. Serra thought about it for a moment, then smiled and grabbed some towels.

"Why not. No-one else will be awake, so we'll have plenty of privacy. But the water will be freezing," Serra warned. "Although, I reckon, by my own _expert_ opinion of course, that you are pronounced 'cured' and may leave as you please." Florina bit her lip nervously, but took one look at her bed and made up her mind.

"Let's go. But what about him?" she said, pointing shyly to Lowen. Serra snorted. "If Lowen can sleep with his eyes open or even standing up, he can sleep through that stench!" Florina giggled as her pink-haired Ositian friend bundled the smelly sheets and quickly darted out of the tent. Well, thought Florina. A midnight bathe and some clean sheets should do her good. Wordlessly, she followed Serra out of the tent and out of the camp, towards a nearby body of water.

Guy lay in the bushes not far from the ploughed-up patch of land which was stained with his blood and the blood of his adversary. Unconscious, blood-soaked, cut and bruised, but alive! Memories flickered in and out of his head as he drifted between worlds. The first time he held a sword, and the joy of seeing the pride in his father's eyes as he swung it about . . . the time Dayan consulted with the Kutolah's seer . . . the time Dayan's son left after a foreboding prophecy . . .the news that the Lorca tribe had been decimated . . . starving in the streets of a Lycian city . . . and the fight with that man, just a few hours ago. Guy's face was wracked with pain as the wind's icy tendrils crept down and into the hole in his chest. With a burst of breath, Guy awoke, breathing hard. He couldn't move! Peering down his body, he saw the hole in his chest, and groaned. The sword had gone straight through, poking a giant hole in his lung. He groaned, but the effort seemed to cost him far more than he thought it should. He breathed hard, and tried to move his arms. Nothing. His fingers then, he decided. Or his toes- something small. He tried to move his fingers, and they barely twitched. He collapsed, his vision swimming.

"Some . . one. Ple-please . . . I . . . need . . ." he gasped, before blacking out entirely. Once again, he was drifting between the realms of life and death, light and dark, and he was hanging on by a thread.

Priscilla was wandering about the rows of tents, hopelessly lost. She had just joined this troop, and now she had lost her tent! If only Erk would look for her, she wished. Stopping, she found herself dwelling on his image. His soft purple hair, his kind eyes . . . Priscilla sighed, then shook her head. What was this all about? It might actually be dangerous if she fell in love with her escort, or even protector. Perhaps she should seek guidance with Kaira . . . but was it not _her_ heart to give, and to whom she pleased? Truth be told, Erk had rescued her from that village in Laus, so she owed him her freedom, at least. Sighing again, Priscilla sat down dejectedly on a rock near a bush. Well, she thought, perhaps someone else is out on a midnight stroll. It was a foolish hope, she admitted, but hope nonetheless.   
"Some . . one. Ple-please . . . I . . . need . . ." whispered the bush. Priscilla squealed and jumped off the log, immediately rebuking herself for such silly behaviour. Parting the bush, the troubadour crawled towards the source of the noise. She saw a hand, and clasped it, pulling herself out of the remainder of the bush.

Guy lay there, his clothes caked with dried blood. Priscilla gasped and immediately created an area with no debris.

"Somebody help! Please!" she yelled, hoping that someone would hear her. Turning her attention back to the matter at had, she gently fingered the hole in the Sacaen's chest.

"Oh my . . . Guy, can you hear me?" she said, her voice trembling surprisingly. Priscilla ripped out her Mend staff, which she always kept on her. This would take a lot of work, and she knew the toll it would take on her body. She barely hesitated before the blue glow spread over Guy's body. Slowly, the hole in his chest closed up, but it was too slow. Sweat began to stain her clothes. Even though the task took all of her mental and physical strength, a little voice in the back of her head wondered why she was trying it all herself. It wasn't like she was attracted to him or anything . . .

The thumping in Priscilla's head was so loud that she didn't hear Serra and Florina appear behind her.

Serra passed a towel to a badly shivering Florina, who shyly took it and covered herself up. Serra squeezed the towel out onto the ground, draping it over her shoulder. Florina took the advantage of the cleric's back being turned to duck behind a tree and finish drying off, tossing her wet towel over a tree branch. Quickly, the Pegasus Knight grabbed her uniform- which she had decided to wash at the same time- and gave it a shake. Florina blinked in surprise and focused on her uniform, her eyes quickly filling with tears.

Serra paused in doing up the buttons to her robe when she heard a peculiar sound- almost like wet leather being stretched.

"Hey, Florina," she called. "You okay?" Florina sniffed behind the tree, and hugged her knees.

"Umm . . . ehh . . . Serra? I . . . well, my . . . my . . . uniform, it . . ." Serra smirked, tying her hair up into their usual ponytails. "Well, Florina? Spit it out." Florina took a deep breath. Be brave, Florina, she told herself. It'll all be okay. She stepped out from behind the tree.

Serra struggled not to laugh, instead letting out an un-ladylike snort. Florina's uniform had shrunk from the washing, and it was tiny! But through some superhuman effort, Florina had squeezed into this miniscule outfit, and it was obviously very uncomfortable. There was perhaps a centimetre of her legs that wasn't exposed, the same with her arms. A rip from the strain had appeared in the neck, straight down to the bodice, and it showed just enough flesh to entice. Overall, however, it looked very slimming- though perhaps that was because it was several sizes too small. Florina's eyes immediately filled with tears again, and Serra bit her lip in mortification.

"I'm sorry Florina, I know that must be embarrassing and uncomforta-" a voice cut through the silence.

"Somebody help! Please!" Serra rolled her eyes. "It's that troubadour, Priscilla. She's probably gotten her foot stuck in a bunch of rocks or something." The contempt in her voice was obvious, and Florina's lip stiffened surprisingly.

"Well, if she's in trouble, we should help her." she demanded. Serra's eyes widened. Was this the Florina she knew, or some altered clone? Feeling slightly awed and even a bit humbled, Serra wordlessly followed her mauve-haired friend, who strode resolutely through the forest towards where the sound was being made.

Priscilla hung on for every drop of energy she had, the blue glow of magic visible even through the thick trees. Why, said her little voice again. (Note: the 'little voice' is that one that we all have in our head. Commonly known as a 'conscience'. Although, in this fanfic, the conscience takes on more of the role of their 'other half', or clashing emotions. Anyway . . .)

_Why_, said the little voice in the back of Priscilla's head. _Why are you going to such extremes to save Guy? Your heart already belongs to Erk._

I do it because I must, Priscilla replied, her knuckles white from gripping her staff so hard. I do it because someone is hurt, and they need my help.

_It's not only that, is it? There's another reason, isn't there?_ The voice accused.

"No." Priscilla gasped, blood trickling down her face as a cut in her temple appeared. Guy's hole in his chest had closed up, but still Priscilla continued, healing every cut and bruise he had.

"Priscilla, stop!" cried Florina, and she ripped the staff from the troubadour's hands. The Etrurian promptly collapsed, her last words escaping in a quiet undertone:

"My heart belongs to Erk, not Guy."

Serra seethed at these words, and X could have sworn her gaze could light a candle at twenty paces. Clearly, he mused from his arboreal hiding place, these two did _not_ like each other. The red-haired troubadour had both sweat and a small amount of blood staining her clothes, and the spy felt compassion for her- no-one should have to exert themselves like that at their age.

"Serra, we need to take her back to the tent!" begged the Pegasus Knight. Serra didn't move. "Serra!" Florina pleaded. Serra's eyes lost some of their hatred as her own little voice came into play:

_What is it with you, Serra? Erk is _gone_, he's not your escort anymore._

I know that! But . . . I . . . its just that . . .

_Why are you so angry with Priscilla? You can't possibly still love Erk. You nearly drove him insane on the trip to Ositia, or so he says. And he's so . . . _bookish_. Not just that, he's with Priscilla now._

Yes, Serra thought bitterly. Priscilla. The troubadour trying to steal my love's heart.

_Did you hear yourself! Your _'love's' _heart? You still harbour feelings for him? _

Yes, realized Serra. I love Erk. I always did, even if it was just a little bit. But now . . .

_What's wrong with you, Serra? You've always been so horrible to Priscilla, and now you've figured it out. Its because you're jealous of his proximity to her, and you're scared that Erk might grow to love her instead of you._

No! Never! I don't love him. . . do I?

_Do you? _

But . . . can't you help me figure it out? If I love Erk, it would actually explain a lot, but . . . can't you help me?

_Help you? I am you, remember. I can't help you, not this way. But either way, you need to decide: Do you love him? If so, then what are you going to do about it?_

I don't know. I . . .

_Heads up._

"Serra! Can you help me?" whimpered Florina, struggling with Guy's body. Serra blinked and shook her head. "Florina, if you're going to lift Guy, I wouldn't do it in the 'uniform' you're wearing. Look- it's already torn some more. You may want to put Guy down." Florina lowered Guy to the ground as gently as she could, and stood up and inspected herself. The rip in her bodice was slightly larger, and enough flesh was showing to cover the palm of both hands. Other than that, two large rips had appeared in the sides of the shrunken clothing, showing most of her side. There was barely four centimetres of cloth altogether holding it together. Florina whimpered, and her eyes filled with tears again. Serra thought hard, and came up with an idea. It sucked, but it was the only way it was going to work.

"Florina, I need you to stay here." The Pegasus Knight spun around, and each tear got a little wider.

"What? S-stay here? Alone?" she whispered, her eyes large and fearful. Serra gritted her teeth. Yes, she and Florina were friends, but there were definitely times where the cleric got sick of her shy attitude. She knew the poor girl couldn't help it, but still . . .

"I'm going to wake up Dorcas, and maybe Lord Hector. Probably Bart- no. Never mind. Not Bartre. Dorcas and Lord Hector should be strong enough to lift these two-" she gently kicked Priscilla in the side, hoping Florina didn't notice. "-and get them back to the infirmary." Serra, unthinking as usual, turned and strode off, the towels and sheets still around her arm.

"Serra! Wait . . ." But Serra was out of earshot, and a near-naked Florina was alone with an unconscious Guy and Priscilla, whose condition was yet to be discovered.

Florina curled up into a ball and sobbed. How could Serra abandon her like this? Poor Priscilla . . . and who was that other guy? Florina stayed curled up in a ball, however. It was freezing, and she barely had enough clothing on to keep herself passably modest, let alone keep warm. Her soft mauve tresses flooing down over her shoulders and her face served to keep part of her warm. Tetatively, the Pegasus Knight peeked out through a gap in her hair. The Sacaen hadn't moved, but Priscilla was starting to come to. Florina blinked. Hadn't she seen him before? . . . it was the strangest feeling of déja vu. Slowly, Florina uncurled from her ball, wincing at the cold breeze. Guy was out cold, and it looke for all the world like he was dead, but with no wound visible. Florina crept over, her little voice chattering away in her head.

_I'm sure you've seen him before. But where?_

I hope he's still okay. What if he does what Lord Eliwood did?

_I doubt he'll over-react like that. But make sure you don't give him too much of a scare._

He looks so familiar, and I'm sure I've heard his voice.

_His _voice?_ How?_

I don't know, but . . . oh! Here's his face!

Florina tilted his face into the moonlight, so she could see it. She gasped. Not only was his skin so cold, but he was so . . . well, handsome.

_Handsome? I thought you were timid around men._

I know, its just . . . he doesn't look like all those other men.

_That's specific._

I mean . . . it's just that . . . he has kind of . . .

_Yes?_

Well, almost like an . . . 'aura' around him. But I know that he wouldn't hurt me!

_Hmm. There's one last thing- where have we seen him before?_

I don't know. But- wait! I can hear something in the trees!

_It's probably just a bird, Florina._

It sounds too big to be a bird.

"Need a hand?" said a voice by her ear. Florina screamed, but her scream was cut off by a gloved hand thrusting itself over her mouth. Florina's eyes craned backwards, and caught the gaze of a pair of soft, blue eyes.

"I'm sorry I had to do that. But please, don't scream. I'm here to help. I'm not a member of the camp, but I'm here to help. That much is all I can reveal without putting my life in jeopardy. Now if I let you go, will you refrain from causing an alarm?" Florina nodded as much as she could. X took a breath- he hated taking unnecesary risks. Slowly, he released her. Florina motored backwards, and tripped over Guy. Guy awoke, snarling with the pain. The sudden noise woke up Priscilla too, and soon everyone was standing up and wide awake.

"Where's that scumbag! I'll cut him to ribbons!" growled Guy, his head whipping around. Florina stumbled up, and by some miracle, her tiny uniform hadn't ripped any more. Priscilla looked around, dazed and completely clueless.

X was nowhere to be seen.

Serra strode through the lines of tents, seeking out the tent Dorcas and Bartre slept in. Briefly, she passed by Erk's tent. She smiled, allowing herself a tender moment as she imagined what it would be like if Erk didn't hate her so much.

_Serra, you're daydreaming. Florina and Priscilla and that other Sacaen are still back there. They're counting on you!_

Ohhhh . . . can't I just quickly visit Erk?

_That's right . . . you love him, don't you?_

No. Well, I mean yes . . . no, wait. I don't . . . hang on. Do I?

_Well? Do you or don't you? I seem to remember we had this conversation recently._

So? It doesn't change anything.

_In order to _change_ something, it has to be standard in the first place! You're as uncertain as a ship on a tidal wave!_

Look, will you just shut up? I'm going to visit Erk, and I don't care what you say.

_Fine. But keep in mind: If you screw this up and he gets the wrong impression, he's never going to forgive you._

Serra paused at the tent flap.

_See? You're starting to use that thing in your head called a 'brain'._

Right- that does it. You shut up! And besides . . . hey! Wait a second! I can snoop in Priscilla's room!

And without hesitating, Serra reached over to the tent flap and slipped inside, closing the tent flap as quietly as she could. A freezing breeze ruffled Erk's cloak, which was hung up on a stand. The owner of the cloak was curled up in bed, deep in slumber. Serra tip-toed over to Priscilla's side of the tent, and began rummaging around. The troubadour's bed was neatly made, and Serra slowly pulled back the sheets. A small booklet appeared, and Serra eagerly snatched it up, squinting at the title. '_Priscilla's Diary_' it read. Serra nearly cackled with glee as she hurriedly pocketed it. Stepping lightly, she made her way over to Priscilla's bundle of clothes. Now, Serra thought. Where can I find some incriminating evidence? Then, to her impish delight, she saw one of Priscilla's bras.

"Yes!" she whispered fiercly, then spun to look at Erk. Still sound asleep. The cleric breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to her enemy's lingerie. Serra smirked.

Frilly and lacey, puh-leaze. I wonder if there's anything I can swipe of her's . . .

_Steal! You sound like Matthew! Come on, Serra- put them down, put Priscilla's diary back, and let's go!_

I thought I told you to shut it! I'm doing what I have to!

_You have to do this? I doubt it._

I said shut it!

Erk rolled over and let loose a snore loud enough to wake the dead, and Serra jumped.

Calm down, Serra. He's still asleep.

The cleric froze for a short while before going back to rummaging through Priscilla's clothes.

X smirked from his dark hiding corner. This girl was loud, obnoxious at times, self-centered, and completely nosey. Perhaps he should teach her a lesson.

The spy crept over to Serra silently, and the cleric didn't suspect a thing. Neither did Erk, still fast asleep in bed. Serra winced as something cold and slimy rubbed across her neck, but she was out cold before the thought to panic entered her head. X gently replaced the lid to the gel, pocketed it, and took off his glove.

This is the troubadour's room, isn't it?

_I think so. Wait! Are you going to do what I think you are?_

Yep. And this is gonna be fun.

_You little demon! We have to see this!_

Oh yeah.

X hefted the Ositian and tucked her into Erk's bed, smiling as he imagined how the morning would turn out. Like a wraith, he left the tent, not noticing when Erk curled up next to Serra in bed, and a tiny smile spread across the cleric's face.

_You are absolutely evil. You know that, don't you?_

Obviously. And trust me- _this_ is gonna be fun to watch!

Wow, that was a looong chapter! Comments? R&R? Things got a bit gross here, and I can promise you it won't get that gross again. Either way, it's gonna be one heck of an explosion in the next chapter! Also in the next chapter, Kaira is more of a main character, Sain starts flirting with basically every female in the camp (finally!) and Florina talks to Lyn about . . . not telling! Oh yeah, Canas arrives, and we have more Rebecca-Raven. (Evil snicker.) BTW, Guy, Priscilla, and Florina all make it back to their tents O.K. (Priscilla is so dopey from over-exertion and lack of sleep she doesn't notice Serra and Erk snuggling in bed. o0) One last thing- a lot more emotional confliction, and a lot more X!


	4. Chapter IV: Healing Envy

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter:

Florina had a fever-induced nightmare, which had premonition-like qualities. Serra took Florina down to wash the sheets, and Priscilla got lost in the woods at night and stumbled upon Guy's body. Serra and Florina finished their washing and found Priscilla healing Guy, which took an enormous toll on the troubadour's body. Serra ran off to get Lord Hector, (because he was strong enough to lift both Guy and Priscilla), and Priscilla fell unconscious. Florina had a déja vu moment with Guy, and X dropped down behind her and gave her the fright of her life. Florina tripped over Guy, who woke up, who woke Priscilla up. And predictably, X disappeared. Serra went snooping in Priscilla's tent (which is also Erk's tent) and X knocked her out. He then tucked her in bed with Erk- and left.

**Chapter IV: Healing Envy . . . (Or, A Turn For The Worst.)**

(About 7:00 A.M)

Rebecca lay curled up in her blankets, smiling serenely. Wil sat silently on the opposite bed, watching her slumbering form eagerly.

Wow, he thought. She's gorgeous. Much more than I remember.

_Hello, Wil. She wasn't exactly happy with you the last time you talked to her, remember?_

Oh, yeah . . . I felt so sick after that . . .

_That was because she kicked you in the stomach._

Yeah, but still . . .

_Ooooooookay, then. Either way, she might not be too happy to see you in her tent without permission._

Well, you've got a point there. Who was she sharing with, again?

_That Ositian, what's-his-name . . ._

Lord Oswin?

_No, that wasn't it . . . blast! What is that guy's name?_

Guy? Wasn't the guy's name actually Guy?

_Yeah, that was it. The Sacaen myrmidon. _

He's not Ositian!

_Okay, so I was wrong. Get over it, because technically, you were wrong too. Particularly since you and I are one and the same._

Wow, this is confusing. I wonder how on earth she wound up with him . . .

Wil was sitting on Guy's bed, submersed in thought, when Rebecca started murmuring in her sleep.

_What the heck? She's sleep-talking!_

Should we listen?

_Definitely!_

Wil crept over on tip-toes, still watching the Pheraen's form as she sighed contentedly. Unconsciously, his arm bumped her bow, propped up against the wall of the tent, and it began to fall. His eyes widened, and he deftly caught the bow, setting it down gently against the floor. He was now about fifteen centimetres from Rebecca, and he listened intently.

"(mumble mumble mumble) Raven . . . cooking pancakes . . . Wil . . ."

_She said your name!_

So she did. Yikes! She's waking up!

_Run!_

Wil scrambled out of the tent as quickly as he could, slipping out of the tent flap just as Rebecca opened her eyes.

"Waahh . . .? Whozat?" Clearing the sleep from her eyes, the archer pulled the covers away, bristling at the early morning breeze that had come uninvited to her tent.

How on earth did the tent flap wind up open? she thought.

_Maybe Guy left it open when he left. Didn't he say something a while ago about getting back at some guy named Matthew?_

Yeah, but he didn't come in last night. I remember worrying.

_Then maybe someone came by when you were sleeping._

Oooh, that's a scary thought!

Rebecca got up and stretched, before she noticed she was in her underwear. Almost as if fate was laughing at her, a particularly strong breeze wafted the tent flap wide open.

"Eeeeeeep!" she sqealed, lunging forward and hurriedly zipping shut the door. Snatching her dressing gown, she berated herself as she made herself presentable.

How stupid can you get!

_You probably could have _checked_ before you stretched. Anyone who was looking would have seen a dream come true!_

Ha ha. Not funny. I have to get ready and cook breakfast.

_You're not on duty, remember? It's Lowen's turn to cook today._

Oh yeah. Hmm.

Rebecca paused in doing up her dressing gown- it felt strange to have a few moments to herself. She sat down on her bed, feeling strangely calm. Perhaps I should start a diary, she mused. It would be handy to put my feelings down on paper.

_Feelings? For who?_

Not that kind of feelings, she scolded. Normal feelings. Happy and sad, and things like what's been going on in my day.

_Hmmm. But you _do _have feelings for someone. I know it, and you know it too. You like Raven, don't you?_

Well . . . not really. Not in that way. It seems like there's always a storm inside him- but I sure liked what I saw on the outside! I wonder where can I _find_ a diary?

Rebecca started rummaging around her items, trying to find any kind of blank pile of paper she could write on.

"I know!" she said aloud. "I can ask Lord Eliwood for one! Or maybe even the tactician!"

_And today we're travelling to the port of Badon, so there might be a chance to buy something in the shops and stuff there. Speaking of travelling, you'd better get dressed unless you want to wear the dressing gown while you're going._

Rebecca immediately tossed her dressing gown onto her bed and started sorting through her clothes when an ear-piercing scream resounded through the camp.

"Oh great. An emergency happens, and here I am in my underwear." she muttered, hurriedly pulling on the first skirt she grabbed. It was her hunting skirt, shortened so she could move easier- so technically, it was a hunting 'mini'-skirt. Throwing on the matching top, Rebecca turned and barreled into the closed tent flap, bringing the entire tent down on top of her. Wil, who had paused in mid-run to watch the tent just collapse on itself, snorted and hid a smile. A lump formed in the canvas- Rebecca's head, he guessed. At that moment, a metal pole that had kept the tent up toppled over and struck the lump hard. A muffled "Ow." emerged from the mess before the lump disappeared and the rest of the tent flopped down with it . . . Rebecca had collapsed, and was probably out cold from a blow like that. Wil smiled and jogged over to help. He was, after all, a Pheraen, and Pheraen's needed to look out for each other. He just hoped Rebecca might actually consider him as a friend, rather than kicking him in the stomach again.

Erk was backed up against the wall of the tent, watching with frightened eyes as Serra and Priscilla screamed at each other. His loyalty was to Priscilla, his employer, but what could he do? It wasn't like he _wanted_ to go to bed with Serra- on the contrary, he was still shivering in revulsion! He certainly didn't remember going to bed with the cleric, so the only explanation was that Serra must have come here of her own accord. And he was asleep, so how could he have known he was snuggling Serra in bed! Erk smiled satisfyingly as he figured out his alibi- and it would best be delivered when Priscilla was alone, and slightly calmer.

"YOU WERE IN MY PROTECTOR'S _BED_! YOU SLEPT IN MY TENT! WITH YOUR EX-ESCORTEE! YOU VILE LITTLE STRUMPET!" screeched Priscilla, eyes red from crying. Serra was, as is typical of Serra, bellowing back with all her might and generally giving as good as she got.

"HOW WAS I TO KNOW I WAS SNUGGLING WITH ERK!" Erk winced and placed a hand to his forehead. He really didn't want the whole camp knowing about that, but it was too late now. He groaned inaudibly at the questions he knew were going to come. "I WAS LOST IN THE DARK! I SAW A TENT, SAW SOMEONE IN BED, AND WENT FOR THE EMPTY ONE, WHEN-" Serra paused, confused. Priscilla saw an opening, and jubilantly took advantage of it. "WHEN WHAT? YOU DECIDED YOU WANTED THE MAN I LOVE TO CUDDLE WITH IN BED!" Serra opened her mouth triumphantly as Priscilla reddened. Erk could hardly believe his ears- but it was possible it was all an illusion since they were still ringing. Then it hit Serra. The loathsome troubadour loved the same man as she. How dare she, thought Serra angrily.

X was watching the tent explode with sound, smirking and laughing silently. To think, _he_ made it happen. And to top it off, a huge crowd was gathering. X saw everyone he knew of from the army of Lady Lyndis, most of Lord Eliwood's troop, and everyone from Lord Hector's, all gathered around the tent. The only one's who weren't there were Guy, Florina, Rebecca, Lowen, and-

"Well, well." said a voice by X's ear. "If it isn't our little spy." X froze, his spare hand gripping his dirk as icy fear overtook him. There was only two possible people in the whole of Elibe that could have sneaked up on him, and one of them worked for the Black Fang in Biran. The other was-

"Matthew." he whispered, before the thief bulled him out of the tree. Both red-cloaked thief and green-cloaked spy landed nimbly on the ground, amidst slack-mouthed viewers.

"Here," announced Matthew triumphantly. "- is your spy. The person that was stalking the camp!" X looked about him with wary eyes. Lyn closed in, but stopped at a distance.

"Do you remember me?" she asked, trying to look into his eyes. Reluctantly, X allowed her to make eye contact. Lyn gasped. This man's eyes were the bluest she had ever seen; comparable only with the skies over Sacae on a beautiful summers day.

"Yes, Lady Lyndis. I remember you." he replied cautiously. Lyn lost herself momentarily in his eyes, thouroughly enraptured by their sincerity. Sain moved forward, sword drawn.

"You had the benefit of luck last time we met. Now, where all the lovely ladies of the camp can see, I shall strike you down!" Kent placed an arm across his companion's armour.

"Sain, don't. It's not worth you getting beat again." The Green Lance brushed his arm away, charging for X.

"You will die this day!" he bellowed. X neatly somersaulted over Sain's head, shooting a leg out behind him. His boot caught Sain an eye-watering blow to the head, and he paused for a moment as X landed hard on his stomach.

"Now! Everyone, stop that man from escaping!" shouted Lord Hector as he hurtled for the spy's form.

"Oh, crap." he muttered as he saw Guy running just behind the Ositian Lord. "Not again . . ." he looked for a moment at Lyn, who seemed almost wistful. "I'll talk to you later, Lyndis. Good hunting- and I'm sorry about what I did to Guy!" he called as he ran for his life out of the camp. Guy was hot on his heels, but Matthew just stood there, watching the enemy spy run into the bushes.

"Next time, my nemesis." he murmured. "Next time, things will be different." Almost immediately after he finished this one-sided conversation, he bounded into the woods.

Lyn, Erk, Priscilla, Kent, and a bleary-eyed Sain were left standing- or in Sain's case, lying- in the settling dust.

Lyn crouched dejectedly, drawing a pattern in the dust with her index finger. Sain decided to lie there for a while, at least until he stopped seeing three of everything. Erk, Priscilla, and Serra had completely forgotten about the ferocious tirade just moments ago. Erk bit his lip, and tapped Priscilla on the shoulder. The troubadour looked softly at the mage, who beckoned to her to follow him into the bushes behind the tent. Serra wandered over to Sain, and Kent crouched next to his liege lord.

(Kent and Lyndis.)

Lyn sniffed, wiping her eyes of unwanted tears. Why did this man's words bother her so much? Worse, how did he seem so familiar, like a lost visitor from her past . . . she sighed. It was as if she had known this person for an eternity, and yet no memory whatsoever remained of him.

"Milady?" Kent qustioned, wandering over to the Sacaen's crouched form. He sat down, twisting his head to try and look her in the eyes. Lyn sniffed. "Not now, Kent." Kent immediately became concerned. The Lyndis of the Lorca _he_ knew was far different, tougher-

Unless there was something he didn't know about.

"Milady, is there something you want to tell me? Perhaps I can help in some way." Lyn looked up finally, and Kent saw her emerald eyes sparkle with tears.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry, Kent. I just . . . need some time . . ." Kent frowned, and he bit his lip anxiously.

"Milady Lyndis? Could you explain?" he said with a tinge of nervousness. Lyn sighed, and looked away, towards the direction X had run.

"I don't know, Kent. I . . . he seems almost _familiar_. Think back through our past dealings with him- tell me what you think." Kent recalled his past dealings with the slippery person.

"I don't think he has murder on the mind, milady. Perhaps a hidden agenda?" he asked. Lyn's lip stiffened, and she drew herself up and wiped the traces of tears away.

Wow. Lady Lyndis looks . . . well, beautiful.

_What? She is your liege and Lady- someone to be obeyed, not infatuated with!_

True, true. Keep your mind on the job at hand, Kent. Do not do a 'Sain' and flirt- it would be fatal to your career, your feelings, and possibly even your life.

_Very funny._

"Well, whoever he is, we need to take action." Lyn said, placing her hand on the hilt of the Mani Katti; it was a comfort thing. "It's just as well we're leaving for Badon today. I should inform Lady Kaira, and help her get things ready for the trip. And Kent," she said, looking him hard in the eye. "Since I placed you in charge of this army's Caelin military division, it would be prudent of you to post sentries every night from now on: we don't know who this person is, or what his plans are. I trust you." Kent blinked, and he seemed almost solemn. When he next spoke, the weight of that trust was obvious, loaded into every word he spoke.

"I will do my duty, Lady Lyndis. It is a knight's honour to swear his fealty and his life." Lyn nodded calmly, when a little thought pricked her in the back of her head.

"Kent, when that man spoke . . . what did he mean when he said he did something to Guy?" Kent thought for a moment before explaining. "Well, Lady Lyndis, I was walking amongst the camp last night when I saw Lady Florina, half-asleep with Guy, and she was in a most revealing and rather small Pegasus Knight uniform. I also saw the myrmidon named Guy walking into the healer's tent. Guy had a rather large hole in his shirt, and from the way the flesh looked, I would say that he had been stabbed straight through. If whoever healed him had done so any later, he would be dead. I helped Lady Florina into bed, and she fell straight asleep. I didn't see what Guy did, however." Lyndis nodded, frowning. Kent took a breath, and tried to read his employer's emotions. Lyn, however, kept her face passively blank and unreadible as an awkward silence overtook them.

"Milady Lyndis, I beg your leave. I need to see to the preparations to the journey." Kent asked. Lyn sighed, fingering the hilt of her Sword of Spirits. "Very well, Kent. You may go." Kent should have pressed her for information, but he didn't. If Lyndis wanted him to know, she would tell him when she was ready.

Lyn drew her Mani Katti as Kent left. There were feelings rushing around her like a stormy sea, and there was one way she knew of to get rid of them- a nice, long sparring match.

(Erk and Priscilla.)

Erk took the troubadour's hand and led her deeper into the bushes, until he judged they were far away enough not to be disturbed. Priscilla had lost the fiery look, and Erk judged she was able to be convinced of his position. He opened his mouth to start his alibi-

"Don't talk to me, Erk. Please, just don't. Listen, rather than speak." Erk closed his mouth. Lady Priscilla had been acting very odd of late; perhaps he would question this later.

"Um, Erk . . ." Priscilla suddenly blushed, and Erk blinked in surprise. His Lady was acting like a shy school maiden, rather than the serene Etrurian he had agreed to escort. "You, um . . . you didn't hear . . what I said about you, did you? I . . . um, I was really angry, and . . . I didn't mean to say that. It's not true, but . . ." Erk thought hard. An extreme personality change in his employer, Serra was getting more and more annoying, constantly following him around, a mysterious visitor that seemed to know Lady Lyndis, and on top of all that, he was starting to get the feeling that some of the girls in this camp were getting infatuated with the others, as if they were being paired off. Just to make his life even more complicated, he wasn't sure he had heard anything after the first ten shouted words. Still-

"It's not that you're unlikeable, I just don't . . . not that I mean any offense to you, but it's . . ." Priscilla stammered. Erk decided to pretend he hadn't heard what Priscilla allegedly said about him- mainly because he wasn't entirely sure she had said it, or that _either_ of them had said it at all.

"Lady Priscilla," he interrupted. The embarassed troubadour immediately shut up. "Lady Priscilla, you are acting more like Florina than Lady Priscilla. I heard nothing- in fact, I may require healing soon, as I fear I may become deaf." The troubadour giggled. "Erk, you made a joke. I thought you were always the bookish one." Erk frowned. Was it him, or was the entire camp going nuts?

"Lady Priscilla, do you feel this matter has been resolved? I enjoy your company, and Lady Lyndis is, if my timing is right, giving the orders to pack up and move to Badon." Priscilla nodded, feeling quite light-headed. She offered her arm to Erk, for him to escort her back to camp, but he declined.

"With all due respect, Lady Priscilla, if anyone saw you and me like that, it may create ill feeling amongst the other members of the camp." Priscilla almost snapped back with a reply about 'Erk's precious Serra', but she reigned in her tongue.

_What _is_ it with you, Priscilla! You're actinng so strange- surely Erk suspects something!_

He does look like it, but you know I love him. I'm so glad he didn't hear me, though.

_But we have a problem- you love Guy also!_

No I don't! Well, he is cute, but-

"Lady Priscilla? Shall we rejoin the others? We need to pack." Priscilla shook her head. "Of course, Erk. Let's go."

The mage and the troubadour walked calmly back to the camp, only to find it in a ruckus, mainly caused by Sain as the pursuers of X finally returned.

(Sain and Serra)

Serra wandered over to the dusty Sain, who was slowly and gingerly getting into a sitting position.

"Aww, poor Sain." Serra cooed. "Do you have a boo-boo?" Sain whipped his head around to look in Serra's eyes.

"At last, a beauteous healer to nurse me back to good health! I pray you, fairest maiden, bestow upon me thy soft hands and magical touch that I might be well again!" Serra smirked. She knew Sain did this to basically every single person in the camp with long hair and a gorgeous face- he even did it to Lucius one time- but it still felt nice to be apprecitated. "Well, Sain. What is it that bothers you? An overstuffed belly? A sore throat? A headache?" she said soothingly, trying desperately not to let a smile cover her face. Sain's spirits soared, and he even managed to forget his pounding head.

"Yes, Lady Serra, sweetest of healer's." he said dramatically. "I am afflicted with a pounding headache, the likes of which has never been documented! The pain is . . ." here he performed his 'Dramatic Gasp Of Pain', a trick he was very proud of. "The pain is incredible, Lady Serra. If at any time any cavalier needed a healer, soft of skin and fair of heart, it is now!" Serra crossed around him, and she couldn't help it- she gasped. There was a boot-mark imprinted into the back of Sain's head, as well as a little bit of blood.

"Well," said Serra, a bit flustered. "I think we need you to come with me to the healer's tent. I have a variety of self-made medicines that could help, as well as my Heal staff . . ." Sain paled. Serra's home-cooked medicines tasted worse than the time Lowen was a beginning cook and had mixed up the flour with the samples of crushed frog bones Erk was preparing for an alchemy recipe.

"See, Sain! You do need my medicines, you've gone as pale as a ghost! Come on!" Sain, at any other time, would have loved the attention coming from such a 'beauty', but taking the disgusting remedies!

"Umm, actually, O gorgeous one," he stammered. "My head feels much better, really it does!" Serra shook her head, her pink ponytails flopping all over the place. "Nonsense, Sain. You need to come with me!" And with that, she hauled the Green Lance up and dragged him off to the tent, her patient protesting loudly.

"Please, Lady Serra, I'm fine! Ow!" he yelped as he spoke a bit too loudly.

"You're not fine, now come on! You're acting like a kid!" Serra knew, of course, that one wave of her Heal staff would cure him easily, but why waste a potential patient on conventional methods?

Amidst the ruckus, the Ositian cleric did not notice Erk and Priscilla appear from the bushes nearby.

Lyn hurried forward, seeking out Hector's blue-armoured form. "Did you catch him?" she said breathlessly. Hector shook his head sadly. "Nope- and we didn't stand a chance, either. I've never seen someone move that fast. Matthew couldn't even track him, let alone catch him. That man didn't leave a single trace. Whoever he is, he's really good. I might even doubt whether he is human. Every person is prone to mistakes, right? Not him; it's weird." Lyn bit her lip. Hector noticed this, but did not question it. Her buisness was her buisness, after all.

"Lyndis!" came a voice. "Excuse me." said Lyn, who ducked past Hector without waiting for his reply.   
"Kaira!" she called, jogging up to meet her friend. Lady Kaira was dressed in flowing green robes, and had startling blue eyes that seemed to glow, along with violet hair pulled back in a braid. "Lyndis! Good timing! We need to pack up and move out, preferrably now." she announced. Lyn was startled. "Now? But-"

"Everyone's here, aren't they?" interrupted Kaira. "Then we need to leave for Badon immediately, particularly if we are going to save Lord Eliwood's father. I allowed everyone a day of rest, but it's time to go. Trust me." Lyn nodded. Kaira looked her hard in the eye, and Lyn nearly wilted. "Then you and me should spend some time together, Lyn. We haven't seen each other for a year, and I for one want to know what's been going on in Caelin!" Lyn grinned and embraced her friend. "It's good to have you back, Kaira."

"It's good to be back, Lyn. Now let's go. Our destination- the Port of Badon!" she announced in a loud voice. People began packing things up and dispersing to their various tents; when the tactician gave an order, it was for the best. They had learnt that long ago.

X watched the camp packing up and dispersing one by one.

"The Port of Badon, eh?" he mumbled. "It could make following hard, but it'll be worth the challenge."

_And next time you'll watch out for Matthew, won't you?_

Yes, he reminded himself. Next time I'll watch out for Matthew. Although, perhaps it would be better to dispose of him on the trail . . .

The spy turned away and was swallowed up by the shadowy forest.

Yikes! It sems like my chapter's are getting longer and longer! Next chapter, Canas arrives (Yes, I know, I know, I said that last time.), the three Lord's meet Fargus, and a little bit of truth is revealed about X! (And I'm not quite sure whether or not to kill Matthew . . . could someone e-mail me with suggestions?)

(Epilogue)

Sain: I'm fine, really!

Serra: No you're not, now drink up!

(Turns to Chibi Sain): Yuk! Ack! YUK! Thou art trying to poison me, fairest maiden!

Serra: My medicine doesn't taste that bad! Hold still! And while you're at it, tell the readers to R&R!

(Gurgling) Sain: Readers! Read and Review! Please! Now get away from me, Serra!

Serra: Sain, if you shut up and drink it, I'll go on a date with you!

(Immediate silence.)

Serra: Finally! But I'm not going out with you.

Sain: What! You cad! Liar! My heart is wounded!  
Serra: Oh, you'll get over it.

Sain: No, I won't, O cruellest of heartbreakers!

Serra: Yes, you will.

Sain: No, I am scarred forever!

Hector: You two, we're moving out! C'mon! And could someone R&R, just to shut these two up! Please, just do it!


	5. Chapter V: A Pirate's Challenge

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter:

Wil was watching Rebecca sleep, and ducked out of her tent just as she woke up. Rebecca got up, stretched, and the tent flap blew open, revealing her in her underwear. She closed the tent flap and decided to keep a diary when the tent collapsed and one of the support poles fell on her head, knocking her out. Serra and Priscilla had their yelling match while Erk figured out his alibi for unknowingly sleeping with Serra. X was watching when Matthew sneaked up behind him and bulled him out of the tree. Lyn had a serious déjâ vù (I think I got the accents right) moment with X, and Hector and the rest of the camp gave chase- uselessly. Kent comforted Lyn, Erk talked with Priscilla, and their little problem was forgotten. Lyn met back up with her long-gone friend, Tactician Kaira, and Sain had to endure some of Serra's disgusting homemade medicines.

**Chapter V: A Pirate's Challenge.**

The Ostian spy known as Matthew gazed at the path, only barely engaged in what Hector was saying. _Where could that person be? Its obvious he'll be following us . . ._

Matthew nodded briefly to Hector, and slipped quietly into the brush along the trail.

"And Matthew, I've been meaning to talk to you about-" he paused at the thief's sudden disappearance. He cursed aloud, earning a disapproving look from the tactician.

"There's no need for that, Hector!" The Ostian gritted his teeth.

"It's Matthew, he's been-"

"Doing his disappearing act again?" the tactician smirked, predicting his every word as the bulky figure nodded.

"I suppose it's typical of Matthew, though" he snarled. "Man . . . why do I always get stuck with the lousy henchmen?" Kaira nodded sympathetically as Hector continued.

"There's Matthew, who always seems to find an excuse to frustrate me . . . there's Serra, who . . well, is Serra-" The tactician, hiding a grin, patted Hector on the back as a loud, steady rythm began to sound behind her. "And then there's Oswin," Hector finished, "who is the most infuriating old-"

"My Lady Tactician" Oswin said, striding up next to her. "I felt it my duty to inform you we shall be ariving in the Port of Badon within ten minutes or so, and now would be the time to pass out your orders." Kaira frowned, and nodded. Oswin peered at her, concerned. "Is everything alright, milady?"

"Yes, it's just . . . we'll be arriving in Badon sooner than I expected. I need to adjust my plans accordingly, that's all." The knight nodded, and laughed uncharacteristically. "And I worry about getting gray hair . . . something the matter, Lord Hector?"   
The Ostian shook his head franticly, turning a satisfying shade of red. Kaira couldn't help it; she laughed. "I think you'd better go, Oswin." He nodded and resumed his place at the rear of the column. Still laughing, the tactician turned back to Hector.

"We'll just . . . _ignore_ that last comment, shall we?" she said, smiling as her horse trotted away, leaving the blue-armoured figure to gnash his teeth alone.

(In The Port Of Badon).

Serra looked around indignantly. Rebecca had gone off to the shops, everyone from Caelin (except for, predictably, Sain) was in the armoury, Sain was at the pub, and the person she wanted to spend time with was nowhere to be found! _What if he's spending time with _her, she wondered. _What if he's with that witch, the one trying to steal him!_

"Erky? Oh Eeeerrrrrrrkkkkkyyyyyyyy!"

The mage in question winced at Serra's loud voice, looking around frantically.

"Hide me," he begged to Priscilla. "Please, Lady Priscilla!" The troubadour grinned and grabbed Erk's hand. "Come along then, Erk." Erk allowed himself to be pulled along by Priscilla, with a tiny nagging voice in the back of his head.

_Lady Priscilla was awfully quick to hold your hand, wasn't she?_

Please. It's probably nothing.

_Don't be so sure. Remember what happened between you and her in the bushes yesterday? Remember how she acted; how she blushed and stammered?_

Hmmm. Good point. Still, even _if_ Lady Priscilla is harbouring feelings for me, I can't let them get in the way of my contract. And being with her is infinitely better than being with the alternative!

_Yes. Better being with Lady Priscilla than with . . . Serra._

Erk shuddered as Priscilla ran into a bookshop and pulled him behind a particularly stacked bookshelf.

"Is something wrong, Erk?" Priscilla asked, concerned. "Are you cold?" The mage shook his head. "No, Lady Priscilla, I am fine. Why do you ask?" Priscilla frowned. "You shivered. I thought you were cold." Erk shook his head again. "No, I was just thinking."

"About me?" Priscilla inquired, regretting the words immediately after they were out of her mouth. Erk looked at her strangely. "Actually, yes." He opened his mouth to elaborate when a figure tapped Priscilla on the shoulder.

"Um . . Priscilla, right? Can you give me a hand?" said Rebecca. Priscilla made an apologetic face at Erk and allowed herself to be towed away. The mage sighed; he'd never gotten to thank her for hiding him. He turned the corner of the row of books and saw-

"Now listen to me, Mr Book-keeper! Did you see a purple-haired mage run in here!" The exasperated assistant was trying uselessly to calm down a demon in pink hair and cleric's robes; Erk froze. She had found him. He crept slowly back around the corner, and wiped swet from his forehead. How in the blazes did she track him down?

"I know he's in here, you! I know my Erky is in this shop!" she screeched. Erk sneaked along and tapped a green-clothed employee on the back.

"Is there a back way out of here?" he asked. The young girl shook her head, and turned back to her task of alphabetizing the scrolls. Erk sighed. He was trapped.

Meanwhile, the tactician was in the local inn, attempting to seek out a means of transport to Valor.

"Arrr," growled a deep voice behind them. "So, ye be seeking passage to the Dread Isle?" Kaira turned around; a berserker was addressing her, with heavily muscled arms and a chest like a barrel.

So this is the dreaded Captain Fargus, huh? she thought.

_Looks like it._

Reckon we can barter passage?

_It's worth a try._

Kaira nodded. "Indeed we are, Captain Fargus. There are many of us; will you take us?" The captain looked almost amused.

"Well, you'd be hard put to find anyone who would, eh Dart?" The last comment was made towards a brawny pirate at the bar, who raised a glass in affirmation and drank deeply. Fargus grinned. "And besides, how did you know it was me?" The tactician smiled.

"Please, Captain. The rather large axe with your name inscribed on the blade was just a bit of a giveaway." Fargus threw back his head and laughed uproariously.

"This lass' got cheek, eh boys?" he cried, much to the amusement of the drunken pirates in the bar; but she noticed a rather wiry archer was reluctant to booze it up to the extent of the rest of them.

"If'n you want to be crossing to Valor, it'll cost you . . ." The captain eyed Kaira scrutinously, trying to decide a suitable price. "One hundred thousand gold." The tactician shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that's too expensive. Perhaps a lower price?" Fargus shook his massive head hard.

"Sorry. One hundred thousand gold or no trip. That's the way it is, lass. If you don't like it, you'd best find another captain." Kaira bit her lip, and walked out of the inn.

Fargus watched her go, sighing. "Well, she were worth a good laugh or two, eh mates?" The berserker gritted his teeth. "Dart! C'mere!" The pirate wearing a gallant headband strode forward. "Yes, Cap'n?"

"Now listen here, Dart. You find that lass again, and tell her this . . ."

Kent gritted his teeth. He knew Sain had gone to a pub, but there must be dozens in this town! Why did Lady Lyndis give him _this_ job? The cavalier ran through the rows of buildings until he saw a small place with the title 'The Buxom Boozer' painted on a rotting wooden sign. Kent grinned, but it turned into a painful grimace when he realized that he would have to go into that hideous bar to grab his friend, drag him outside and take him back to the town square. All for the orders of his liege; he had no choice but to obey them. Kent steeled himself for what the inside could be like. He strode forward and kicked open the door.

"Sain!" he roared, before gagging. The stench of beer was awful, filling every crack in the building. Kent enjoyed a drink every once in a while, but this was over the top in more ways than one.

He spotted his companion amidst several well-built ladies, drinking deeply from a flagon. Elbowing his way through the throngs of scullery women, serving maids and mostly women with far too much flesh showing, he grabbed Sain's shirt and proceeded to drag him outside, ignoring the protests of those surrounding him.

After what seemed like an eternity, both Caelin cavaliers were outside.

"Sain," gasped Kent, drawing in deep breaths of fresh air. "Lady Lyndis and the tactician need us in the town square. Now." Sain groggily got to his feet; it was obvious he was drunk. The Crimson Shield groaned. Well, it looked like the tactician would have a slightly easier time in picking the fighters for the next battle.

The next battle turned out to be sooner than he expected.

"What?" Eliwood, Hector and the tactician were all unable to believe their ears. Dart nodded.

"Yep. Me and my mates will assemble across the town in an hour; it gives you time to get everyone together, see? Then, if you make it past us and talk to the captain, you get a free passage to the Dread Isle." Kaira opened her mouth to question the pirate's explanation, but Dart had already taken off. Kaira pointed to each of the Lord's in turn.

"Eliwood, get everyone together from your force. Hector, the same with yours. Try and find everyone from Caelin as well; especially Lyn. We're really going to need the Mani Katti on this one." Both nodded and ran away. Kaira watched them go, and sat on a rock.

"Well, time to formulate a strategy. Now what kind of a challenge can I expect from a man like Fargus . . .?"

(Fifty-five minutes later.)

The tactician had finally gathered everyone in the square outside the inn.

"Okay," she called in a loud voice. "We can only take eight people on this one; are there any volunteers? I'm looking for people that need experience and use a sword. Axes are okay, though. Oh, Eliwood and the Lord's have to come on this one; so only five people. Anyone?"

Eliwood came over, along with Hector, Lyn, and Guy. Kaira nodded firmly.

"I'll be picking the rest of you . . . Raven, you need a combat testing-" Raven frowned darkly. "You will not need me to prove my worth again after this."

"So, we've got Raven, Eliwood, Guy, Hector, Lyn . . . who else . . . we'll need a healer on this one, so Serra; you can come, along with Erk-"

"Yay!" Serra screamed, throwing her arms around Erk. "Erky! We get to spend time together!"

The mage gingerly ducked out from under the shrewish cleric and gave Kaira a dirty look; she ignored it. The tactician had her face set in her final decision.

"And Sain- wait, no; your way too drunk . . . Florina, you can be the last." The shy Pegasus Knight gave a start and mumbled something incomprehensible. Lyn strode forward, but Kara cut her off.

"The rest of you, take a seat in the sidelines or do some shopping. I'll send someone after you when we're done. And Matthew, I know what you're like," she said, staring him hard in the eyes. "No interfering with this battle, I mean it!" she finished. Matthew rolled his eyes and nodded. Satisfied, Kaira turned back to face Lyn. Anxiety, along with worry, was clearly etched on her friend's face.

"Kaira, are you sure about this? I know the Weapon's Triangle, and so do you- what are you playing at! Florina is going to be scared stiff around all these axe-wielding pirates, you know what she's like around men!" Lyn could see it plainly in her friend's blue eyes; she was hurt.

"Please, Lyn. We've barely been back together for a day or two, and already you insult my skills! Florina can level up after a kill or two, she needs the experience! I will take care of her, or do you have doubt in my ability to keep everyone alive as well?"

And the tactician strode angrily away from her long-time friend.

At the final chime of the clock in Badon, Kaira's team was assembled, and ready to do battle. Lyn looked decidely nervous; but no more than the rest. There was a lot riding on this contest, they couldn't lose.

Lyn snuck forward while Kaira was tending to the rest of the company, and slipped inside one of the doors to a village.

_What are you doing? You'll provoke an attack!_ she thought.

I need to close this village; pirates can be just as effective as bandits!

_Kaira told you don't move! And yet here you are!_ _What are you thinking!_

"Excuse me, but I noticed there's a battle going on outside? And you're fighting in it? My name is Canas. I'm a scholar in the more elderly forms of magic; 'dark' magic is just a rather biased term people give it. May I join you? Oh thank you so much!"

Lyn gaped at the friendly scholar. A monocle sat in his left eye, and a pleasing smile and purple hair seemed to complete the image. The Sacaen nodded dumbly as Canas brushed past her and hurried outside, holding a rather large and weighty tome.

_Um . . . what was that all about?_

Who on Father Earth knows? she thought, before following suite.

Kaira seemed equally stunned by the new arrival.

"What is your method of attack again?" she asked carefully.

"Oh, I'm a shaman. I use the elder magic. Watch; the weakest is called 'Flux'. I cast the spell and a ball of distorted space time and darkness appears; and, following the rules of-" The tactician shook her head.

"Okay, okay! Please, don't kill me with an oerdose of information. Just show me . . . there! On that mage, about to cast 'Elfire'." Canas peered at the mage.

"Ah, I'm sorry. He is out of my range. Perhaps if I were closer . . ."

Rebecca and Wil were watching the battle from the top of the wall they were sitting on.

"Who's that guy?" asked Wil. Rebecca shrugged, her emerald eyes clear and sparkling.

"Who knows? He seems to be on our side at any rate."

Florina held her lance tight, looking around with the fear obvious on her body posture, her eyes, even her voice. Why did Kaira pick her to do this? she wondered feebly.

Over near the bottom of the village Canas had come out of, Raven was sweating hard and plunged his sword into the ribs of a pirate.

"Die, vermin." the mercenary spat. The pirate held onto the sword hilt, leering ghastly and reaching for his axes with his spare hand. Raven twisted the sword deeper, but the corsair's strength seemed inexhaustible; he gripped his axe and lifted it slowly.

"Let go of my sword!" he bellowed.

Kaira grabbed Florina's arm. "Over there! Where Raven is, Florina- get him!" And she slapped the flanks of Huey, Florina's Pegasus, which promptly shot off towards the target. The Pegasus Knight screamed and grabbed the reigns, watching with wide eyes as Huey flew closer and closer towards her target.

The wiry archer Kaira had spotted in the bar grinned as he stretched an arrow to his Killer Bow. A Pegasus Knight, here? he thought. Too easy. He smirked as he performed a 'critical' and send the messenger of death speeding towards his target.

Just too easy, he smiled. A nice tidbit of experience.

Lyn gasped. "Florina! Look out!" She tried to run towards the Pegasus but the tactician grabbed her and held her tight. "Lyn, no! Criticals never miss; they _can't_! I can't lose you too!" Lyndis was obscure to all reasoning, however, and fought like a demon to reach her friend.

"Florina! Noooooo!"

_What have I done?_ thought Kaira. _I should have known this would happen; why didn't I listen to myself?_

For Florina, time seemed to stand still. The shining arrow was coming in almost slow motion towards her, and the tiny Pegasus Knight barely had time to shed a tear- the arrow would take her through the heart, and there was nothing she could do about it. Beneath her, Lyn was struggling furiously to escape the smothering grasp of Kaira.

Lyn. The one who had protected her, watched over her, never failed her; except for now . . . and yet she still hadn't, Florina realized. It wasn't Lyn's fault she was about to die; Lyn couldn't have done anything about it.

A black-cloaked figure leapt off the roof of a nearby inn, his robe fluttering in the breeze. He moved impossibly fast, filling Florina's vision and diving straight into the path of the arrow. Florina gasped; he was going to take the arrow that was meant for her!

X's scream was audible to everyone on the battlefield, and the spy fell limply, crashing down on the Pirate with Raven's sword still in his stomach. The steel sword was ripped free from the impact, and the mercenary stumbled back a pace. Florina's Pegasus landed nimbly next to Raven, and Florina was shaking and crying so hard the lance fell from her grip, point down-

And it landed firmly in the body of the Pirate. The mercenary was at a loss. He was unused to dealing with women; his encounter with Rebecca was proof of that, and now this? He feebly patted her on the back and guided her and her Pegasus back to the main group, leaving X alone and bleeding.

X tugged weakly at the arrow protruding from his chest. It had gone straight through his heart, and death would son come on swift wings to take him away. His eyes clouded over, and he felt the warm soak of blood coat his limbs.

_You idiot_, he thought. _You intercept an arrow that would have half-killed a berserker, and all for a girl you don't even know? A girl you've only seen once before?_

I had to. It was . . my du . . .ty . . .

_No longer, though. No more duty. Just time to sleep . . ._

A female silhouette appeared briefly in his weak sight as the spy slipped into darkness.

(Meanwhile . . .)

Erk crept forward, behind the vendor near the docks. If he could just get close enough to Fargus . . .

A corsair spotted him and rushed forward. "Nice try, laddie!" he yelled. Erk jumped back, waving a hand furiously over his tome.

"Thunder!"

A brilliant blue lightning bolt shot down out of nowhere and clashed with the steel blade of the Pirate's axe, electrocuting him and effectively killing him in a single blow. The body was blown backwards from the force of the blow, and Erk charged forward; his cover was blown, he had to get to-

"Fargus!" he gasped, supporting himself on a nearby barrel. The berserker jumped and looked at the sweating mage in surprise.

"Aaahh! Where'd you come from? Ah well,- you made it, so you get free passage." Erk nodded and smiled in gratitude before slumping down onto the docks to catch his breath.

"Mates! They've won, let'm go! C'mere!" The Pirate's gladly turned and walked away from the battle. Fargus turned back to Erk.

"Well mate, no-one's ever survived a trip to the Dread Isle, but I reckon you're going to be the ones to do it, eh?" Erk was unable to reply, as Serra had already reached him and thrown herself over him with a jubilant cry of-

"Erky, you did it! I knew you could!" And she kissed him hard on the cheek just as Priscilla arrived. To Serra's delight, the trouadour threw a furious look at her.

_Aw, what's wrong Priscilla? You don't like me being this close to your precious Erk?_ she thought happily. The troubadour strode over.

"Erk, you should come with me. You need to be healed, you're bleeding." Erk immediately became more alert.

"What? I'm not . . oh. How did that happen?" he said, looking at his arm. It was a scratch barely the length of his finger, and barely bleeding at all.

"Oh, it's okay Priscilla! I can heal that up, no need for you to worry; look!" cried Serra, the joy obvious in her voice as she waved her staff at Erk's arm. The scratch dried up and closed over, leaving no trace. Serra smiled smugly.

"See?"

Priscilla was seething as Serra hooked her arm around Erk's arm and led him away, chatting to him animatedly.

"Hey, um, Priscilla?" Priscilla turned to see Guy standing behind her, tugging on his braid sheepishly. "Um . . .do you want to get something to eat before the trip?" he mumbled. "Only if you want to, I mean. I can pay . . ." Priscilla smiled, making Guy blush harder.

"Okay." she said simply, offering her arm to him.

_You do realize you're crossing the line, Priscilla. _

Oh please. Yes, I want Erk- I would love for him to like me- but Guy will do for now. Erk can't be happy with Serra; sooner or later he'll come running back, and I'll be waiting.

Guy took her arm, struggling to wipe away his burning cheeks as he escorted her towards a well-known restaurant.

Kaira knelt over the body of X, frowning.

_So this is the person who was following us. Hm. Interesting._

You don't say.

_You should check him for signs of life. _

The tactician placed two fingers to his throat, and felt a tiny but definite pulse. Calling Kent over, she motioned for him to pick X up; he did so.

"We need to take him to the _Davros_." she said. Kent blinked. "The _Davros_, milady? Shouldn't we take him to a healer?" Kaira shook her head.

"It'll take too long; we need to set sail as soon as possible." Kent stood his ground.

"I'm sorry milady, but if we don't get him to a stave user, he'll die. Unless that is what you want?"

The tactician shook her head. "We can heal him on board . . . huh? What's going on with him?" Kent glanced down at the body in his arms; the blood was disappearing, the arrow was being forced out of his body, almost like-

"Finally!" X cried. He dropped to the ground and neatly tripped Kent by yanking his legs out from under him. Rolling to a stand, he snapped the arrow shaft protruding from his heart and pulled the head out almost effortlessly.

"Hey!" Kaira snarled. She had drawn a dagger from some unknown place, and her sky-blue eyes were ablaze. X smirked.

"Do you think this wise, girl? Crossing blades with a-" he smiled. "Do you dare to defy me? You cannot stop my mission."

Kaira brushed a loose violet hair from her face.

"Well, I'm standing here aren't I? I'm not going anywhere . . . and neither are you." X shook his head.

"I don't want to kill you." he warned. Kaira was shaking by now, but still she stood her ground.

"Oh really! I don't seem to recall you being so lenient with Guy!" And without warning, the tactician slashed the supporting rope to a merchant's stall, sending a large canvas toppling over the spy, enshrouding him and muffling his cries of alarm.

"Well, at least you're not a magic user, or you would have warped out of the way." Kaira noted, before taking off running. Kent was right on her heels.

Priscilla was actually enjoying her date with Guy, perhaps more so than she would have liked.

"So Guy, tell me . . . what's it like in Sacae?" Priscilla asked. The myrmidon grinned.

"It's wonderful. Everyone has a habit of riding horses or using a bow, but I'm terrible at those things . . ." he blushed, embarassed. "But I got used to the sword, and now I'm almost the best in my . . . hey, what's with Tactician Kaira?" Priscilla followed his pointing hand out the window, where Kaira and Kent were shouting furious orders for everyone to get on board and set sail immediately. The tactician and the cavalier scrambled up a wooden ladder, and-

"The boat's almost halfway off the dock!" Priscilla cried, terrified. Guy grabbed her hand.

"Come on! I know a shortcut!"

The myrmidon dashed up a flight of stairs, with Priscilla doggedly following. They emerged on the roof, where Guy turned to Priscilla.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. "You don't have much choice; but do you?" The troubadour nodded, scared. Guy wrapped an arm around her waist and grabbed a rope.

"Hold on!" he yelled, before taking a running leap off the roof. Priscilla screamed as they swung in mid-air, over the ocean. Guy released his hold on the rope, and they were falling . . .

Landing hard on the deck of the _Davros_. Priscilla went sprawling on the wood, and Guy landed nimbly on his feet.

"I'm so sorry." he said ashamedly, helping her to her feet. Everyone seemed surprised at their sudden arrival; everyone but Lyn and Kaira, who were staring out the back of the ship.

X stood on the dock, watching as the ship sailed away, far out of reach.

Lyn frowned.

"Didn't he get hit by the arrow that was meant to _kill_ Florina?" she said, loading an awful lot of hatred into that one word, 'kill'. Kaira nodded, deep in thought.

"The blood just started to . . . clear up. The arrow just fell out. It was like self-healing, or something." The tactician felt herslef burn with shame.

"You were right, Lyndis. I should have known better, putting Florina in a fight like that. I guess I'm a bit rusty." Lyn eyed her suspiciously, and turned away, walking down the stairs and through the door to her cabin.

Kaira sighed. I deserved that, she thought. Once again, she gazed out at the rapidly disappearing Port of Badon, looking resplendant in the sunset.

_Who are you? You follow us, you tried to kill Guy; and yet you spare me, you spare Lyn and Sain and Kent . . . who are you, my person unknown?_

Lyn sniffed sadly. Why did Kaira have to hurt her feelings like that; why did she almost kill Florina?

The Sacaen undid the clasp on her hairband, letting her hair hang loose and relaxed. I just need to relax, she thought. Just relax. She took a few deep breaths.

A dark shadow had been present on her ceiling the entire time . . . it dropped to the floor with barely a sound.

Lyn reached behind her to undo the knots to her bodice when she was pinned; her hands stuck painfully behind her and a bright, gleaming blade by her throat.

"Scream, and I'll slit your throat. I don't want to, but I will if I must." Lyn tried painfully to bend behind her; a pair of brilliant blue eyes met hers; eyes that contrasted sharply with the darkness that covered his face.

"It can't be . . . but what is your _name_! Who are you!"

"My name is X."

Ooooohh, cliffhanger! I barely did half of the pairings I wanted to do, but I definitely strengthened the Serra/Erk/Priscilla part, along with Rebecca/Raven and Priscilla/Guy. Yeah, this part was long, but it will feel so good to post! (And I finally brought Canas into it . . . yay . . .)

I thought the first part was crap, but it definitely got better. R&R please.

Next chapter: X is loose on board the _Davros_, Sain gets a hangover, and the Black Fang invades the ship! Relationships get tight between Lyn and Kaira, and there is going to be some serious Lucius combat exp! More Serra/Erk/Priscilla, Priscilla/Guy, Rebecca/Raven, and of course, X.


	6. Chapter VI: Nowhere To Run

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter:

Erk hid in a bookshop from Serra, and Priscilla met/was introduced to Rebecca. Florina was nearly shot down by an arrow from the pirate's, when X intercepted the arrow and consequently died . . . or so it seemed. Exhibiting strange self-healing powers, X and the tactician fought a brief battle that ended with X being stranded on the docks as the _Davros_ sailed off into the distance. Relationships get extremely fiery between Tactician Kaira and Lyn as the Sacaen rages at her friend for almost killing Florina. Priscilla and Guy went on a date, Serra had a small moment of revenge by going off alone with Erk, and X appeared in Lyn's cabin.

Thanks to Wandering Cat for inspiring me to write this next chapter.

**Chapter VI: Nowhere To Run**

Lyn froze, the dagger at her throat not moving.

"We left you in Badon! How did you manage to get on the ship!" The assassin's eyes were cold and unreadable, and he remained silent. Lyn felt sweat drip down her face and collect on the tip of her nose; she resisted the urge to wipe it away.

"But surely you see that your position is impossible!" X's eyes narrowed, and the fickle ghost of doubt appeared behind his cool blue gaze. "Explain." Lyn took a deep breath, trying not to expand her throat and risk cutting it on the dagger.

"Even if you kill me, which, if your word is honourable, you won't, you have nowhere to run. It's a boat; there isn't much running room and there's a lot of us on board. We'd find you eventually. I must ask: what are you going to do, X?" He contemplated this information, the dagger staying rock-steady. Lyn unconsciously held her breath as the tension built. She would either die, or be released.

Silently, X removed the weapon from Lyndis' throat and gave her a gentle push away from him; but not before sprinkling a tiny amount of colourless dust on the back of her neck. The Sacaen's first impulse was to grab her Mani Katti and engage her assailant, but she paused.

"X . . . why 'X'? What is your true name?" she asked, turning around. There was no trace of the mysterious being; even the door was shut. It was as if he had vanished with no sound, as impossible as it was. Lyn sighed, and spoke aloud even though she knew that he wouldn't hear her.

"Why, X? Why are you here? Why have you so often spared the lives of me and my men when you could have killed us easily?"

Behind the faded oak, X bit his lip and asked these questions of himself. His gaze fell, and he softly walked away.

"Lady Tactician," he muttered, eyes scanning the deserted corridor. "Your move . . ."

"Here, does that help?" Guy asked, wrapping the bandage tight around Priscilla's bleeding elbow. It was his duty after all; it was solely his fault that she had crashed to the deck like that. The troubadour winced. "Not so tight, Guy!"

"Um . . . sorry, Priscilla." Blushing furiously, he retied the knot and secured the bandage. "Is this better?" She nodded.

"Yes, that's much better." she said. "Thank you very much, Guy." To the swordsman's eternal embarrassment, he blushed harder than ever. "Um . . it was my fault you were hurt, Priscilla. So it's my job to make sure you're okay again." he said, making an effort at a cheery voice; it sounded forced. She frowned, and brushed it aside.

"Actually, I also wanted to thank you for preventing me from getting left in Badon." she said awkwardly. "If it hadn't been for you, we'd still be in the café, while Lord Eliwood and everyone else were sailing to the Dread Isle." Guy offered her a nervous smile.

"I did it because . . . well, I dunno. I did it because I had to, I guess." Priscilla stood up.

"Thank you for all your help, Guy."

And she left without a word. Guy watched the door swing shut, feeling rather mixed up and just plain confused.

"Strange girl." he remarked to the empty air.

Kaira massaged her brow, thinking hard. Lyn had just left her some intriguing information, as well as a couple of scathing parting words. Kaira accepted them silently. It was her duty as a friend. She had screwed up, screwed up so badly that she almost killed Florina, and the loss of dignity was well-deserved.

The tactician sighed. Back to the problem at hand. An assassin was loose on board, obviously an assassin of great skill. They were on a ship; granted, it was a large ship, but it was a boat nonetheless. A confined place. The tactician sighed; while being in a limited area offered several advantages, in turn it also came with several disadvantages.

If this . . . human, if indeed it was; if this human was loose on board, they could launch a search party. After all, Kaira figured, it was so much easier to find something when you had a map and coordinates. Then again, if this green-cloaked menace was so skilled, he could pick them off at his leisure, but not without alerting her and everyone else on board. The problem was that she didn't know enough about him to guess his skill level. But, she reasoned, if Matthew couldn't track him in grass and trees, he definitely won't be able to find our assassin on oak and timber. So, if I make the first move and perform a search, she thought, he could just hide away for the entire duration of the trip.

It was, whichever way you looked at it, a stalemate. She sighed again; a meeting would have to be called to present the facts and come to a course of action. Kaira rose, and only when she took her hand from her forehead did she receive a flash of inspiration. A counsel with Fargus himself may shed some light, and help her to plan her moves.

X crouched beneath the rim of the crows nest, fingering his remaining dagger. Sooner or later Lady Lyndis' tactician would initiate a search for him; it's what he would do were the positions reversed. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sea breeze for once. It wasn't often his travels took him off the mainland, and X was content to sit there for a few moments and relax.

A creak of the ropes was enough to send his eyes blazing open, and he listened intently. The creaks got louder and closer, and X had no doubt someone was coming up. All the way up, to the crow's nest. He had seconds before discovery. Immediately his mind began spinning plans, escape plots, when something stopped.

"Yarr!" cried a voice from the deck- X recognised it as Fargus. "Dart- do ye see the Dread Isle yet?" A voice came from a metre below X, and the assassin smirked. He had judged the distance perfectly.

"Nay, Cap'n. D'ye want me to come down?" X crossed his fingers.

"Yeah, come down Dart. No reason for ye to be up there if'n there's nothing to be seen. Plus, that lass from the bar, Kaira, wants a word with us." Dart nodded and came down from the ropes, and X breathed a silent sigh of relief. This Kaira intrigued him. Perhaps it would be best to listen in to this meeting . . . X had already begun to plan his approach, factoring in security, vantage points and escape routes with barely the flicker of an eye. His cloak ruffled in the wind; this would be an interesting day.

Sain was, not surprisingly, scoping out any 'beauteous flower' on whom to try and get in favor with. And, to his delight, he saw Rebecca recently exiting the galley, or cooking centre on a ship. He opened his mouth to speak to her, when he saw the mercenary who had joined their group follow her out. What was his name . . . Raven, that was it. A callous fellow, but an amazing swordsman, Sain admitted. Still, it was almost clear these two weren't a couple, although the green-armoured cavalier did see Rebecca giving him an occasional smile . . . and Lady Kaira _did_ say that she didn't want any romances developing _at this point in time_, so it was almost an excuse to go and talk to her! Without any ado, Sain strode over, running a hand experimentally through his bangs.

"Rebecca!" he cried jubilantly. The archer grinned. "Hello, Sain!" The cavalier decided to change his usual approach of outrageous compliments. Then he smiled- what was he thinking!

"Ah, my wildflower." he began, and Rebecca's eyes narrowed.

"_Your_ wildflower? I belong to nobody, especially not you, Sain!" she growled. The cavalier immediately saw his mistake, and made to rectify it.

"I'm so sorry, milady! I did not mean to imply any kind of ownership! You are free to go where e'er you may!" he cried. Rebecca looked amused, and glanced at Raven. The mercenary was looking at Sain with hard eyes, and he gulped.

"Well, Sain, I guess you have rectified what mistakes you have committed . . . particularly the incident in Badon." Sain gritted his teeth.

"Beauteous woodland flower, please do not remind me!" he begged. Raven rolled his eyes; he had had enough.

"Rebecca. Come." he said, and walked away. Rebecca watched the mercenary's form for a second, before bidding farewell to the sweating cavalier and following Raven out of sight. Sain breathed a sigh of relief. If Raven had found out about Badon . . . it was probably a good thing Raven had fought in the battle and not seen him with Rebecca. That mercenary was not one to be trifled with, he thought. But there was no way he was giving up on Rebecca! He was going to win her over, no matter the cost!

Matthew crept delicately along a beam in the depths of the ship, balancing skillfully on his hands and feet. Kaira had given him his orders before the meeting, and he was to seek out this mystery man, and hopefully defeat him. Matthew had flatly refused to fight. He was a thief after all, not the brawling type! Although he had grown skilled at keeping secrets- you had to be in his business- Kaira had very nearly discovered his ruse. Matthew had in fact seen signs of X in Caelin . . .

A dagger slid across his throat, and Matthew smiled, in spite of himself.

"Our mysterious assassin, I presume. I am Matthew."

"I know who you are." he growled. "What I am interested in is why I shouldn't kill you." Matthew smirked.

"Sir . . .?" The assassin's eyes were unreadable, but shone with unreadable emotion.

"The name 'Sir' requires no strain." he said. "I could kill you now, and no-one would find the body. You're a spy, you do a lot of sneaking around. No-one would miss you." Matthew bit his lip. It was a stalemate. He could try something, though. It was foolish in the extreme, but it was so unexpectedly stupid that it just might work.

"You are a spy, just like Leila." X finished coldly, the dagger pressing more firmly against the Ostian's throat.

The thief kicked backwards at the assassin. Matthew gasped as a hand caught his foot and twisted it brutally. A loud crack signified that the ankle had broken, and X shoved Matthew off the beam and out of a nearby pothole. The thief plunged into the water, his injury paralyzing his leg. The thief felt unconsciousness trying to grip him, and he firmly embedded his dagger into the wood, pulling himself out of the water and flopping inside the pothole. He slowly inched himself along the beam, when a silvery blade flashed out of the mist and cut an 'X' deep into his chest. Matthew tried to see behind him, but the dagger had completely disappeared. There were things that made no sense to him. Firstly, this man had no clear motive for following this army. Second, there was no weight discrepancy on the beam- not even the slightest change in weight shift. Third, in spite of his luminous blue eyes, he had already vanished with no sound, no trace, not even a name. Sure, there was the pseudonym 'Sir', but it was obviously just that, a false name.

Matthew spun around and lay flat on the rafter, his dagger springing out of nowhere and thrusting into the inky blackness.

Nothing.

The Ostian lay on the pillar and allowed the blackness to engulf him, his dagger slipping loosely out of his hands and falling silently towards the water at the bottom of the ship.

X caught the dagger neatly, and thrust it through his belt. It still had the name 'Matthew' inscribed on the hilt. The perfect present for Lady Lyndis, Lord Eliwood, and Lord Hector. Time to let them know who and what they were dealing with. And there was no doubt in X's mind that Matthew wouldn't be discovered until the _Davros_ was halfway back to Badon.

X vanished into the dark, and reappeared briefly next to Matthew. He uncorked the vial of green gel and smeared some on his glove. He rubbed it in a small circular area on the back of the spy's neck, where it soaked in almost instantly.

"I never leave things to chance." he remarked, before slipping away noiselessly.

"So, what ye be saying is that we've an assassin in our midst?" asked Fargus. "There's an assassin on _my_ ship! Find the cretin!" he roared, pounding the table with one massive fist. Kaira placed a hand on his; it seemed tiny and frail in comparison.

"Calm down, Fargus!" she said, exasperated. She waited until all the Lords and Fargus had her attention.

"Right. Now, here's the way things lie. If you have anything to offer, wait until the end. This assassin, known as X, is loose on board. Lyn is Sacaen, plus she's an amazing swordfighter. X sneaked into her cabin and nearly killed her before he was detected; and we still didn't get an accurate visual. The only thing we know is that he has daggers, a green cloak and really, really blue eyes. I mean really blue." she finished lamely. Eliwood and Hector were thinking, whereas Lyn was grim-faced, and her mouth was barely a slash across her face.

"If this assassin is as skilled as you say, then we're stuck." Hector said grimly. "He can pick us off one by one, but not without drawing attention to himself." Kaira nodded. Eliwood looked up, and voiced his own idea.

"This assassin can't risk drawing attention to himself, right? Then _we_ go looking for _him_. It's a small area. We go in pairs or three's, and make sure each group is skilled enough to take on this assassin on the off-chance we find him." Kaira nodded.

"Well done, Eliwood. That's what we'll do." The tactician looked at Fargus. "I assume we'll have your help?" The bearded man nodded.

"Of course you have my help lassie! You will have the entire crew of the _Davros_ at your disposal!" Kaira smiled.

"Then it's settled. We'll start tomorrow morning." she announced, glancing briefly at the sunset over the ocean. "I suggest you all get some sleep; tomorrow, we hunt." The Lord's adjourned unanimously, but Lyn hung back. Kaira sighed quietly, she had seen this coming. The Sacaen's eyes were still hard as flint, but Kaira was not intimidated. At least she could apologize now, to her face, for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Lyn," she began, but the noblewoman cut her off.

"You nearly killed Florina." she intoned. "Not only that . . . I have reason's to believe you did it on purpose." Kaira was aghast.

"Lyn! Are you nuts! Why would I-"

"I've known you for the longest time, longer than anyone here, Kaira." Lyn interrupted, her fingers slowly wrapping around the hilt of her Mani Katti. The tactician's eyes did not miss such a subtle move. "I can't believe you'd do such a thing." she finished. Kaira nodded furiously, backing up.

"Exactly, Lyn! I didn't-"

"But people change." Lyn cut in. "People always change. I need to eradicate the mole in this army." The Sacaen purposefully unsheathed her sword, and lifted it high.

"Goodbye, Kaira." Lyn whispered. The tactician's eyes were wide, and she bumped against the wall. There was no escape. The Mani Katti swooped down.

No-one heard the sound of blood on wood. No-one heard the scream that was muffled.

No-one but X.

X grinned, and walked calmly away from the room. It looked like the powder worked. One member of the army was dead. He stifled any feelings of celebration. It did not do to get cocky in his business. A cocky assassin meant that he would take unnecessary risks. He slid behind the door to a nearby cabin as Lyndis exited and sheathed her Mani Katti. X planned to enter the room and dispose of the body; providing Lady Lyndis had not done so already. When the powder wore off, she would only remember a blur. Tactician Kaira would have vanished into thin air.

And besides, people would be admiring the sunset with the ones they fancied. There would be no witnesses. X only wished he hadn't used up his stockpile on Lyn alone. Still, he didn't take chances.

Lucius looked calmly out on the sunset, clearly aware of the couples and singles that were also leaning on the railing and marveling at the beauty. And what a sunset it was, Lucius thought. It's fiery gold blended wonderfully with the deep aquamarine blue of the ocean, and the gold and red faded out to a soft orange and pink as it grew on the sky.

"Lucius." said a voice. The monk turned and saw that it was his fellow Elimine follower, Serra.

"Sister Serra." he said, with a smile on his face. "How may I help you?" The cleric bounced up and down nervously, and Lucius took note of this. The child was always fidgeting . . .

"Well, um . . Lucius . . ." The monk calmly ignored the lack of title. "I'm sorry about our . . . um, our earlier . . _mistake_, in the um . . tent." Lucius smiled.

"It's perfectly alright, child. I get that a lot." Serra tilted her head in confusion, it looked comical with her braided pigtails, and the weighty jade stone that hung at the root of one.

"Really?" she asked. "I can kinda see that . . . because you _do_ look a lot like a girl, Lucius." The monk rolled his eyes. Serra was loud, shrewd, had absolutely no tact . . . and yet Lucius felt attracted to her, despite his vows of chastity. Immediately he brushed those feelings aside.

"I get that a lot." he repeated, turning back to face the sunset. Serra got the feeling the conversation was over, and walked away towards her cabin. Some extra beauty sleep wouldn't go amiss.

Guy was watching the sunset as well, but with Priscilla at his side. Guy felt awkward being so close to a girl, but he managed to hide it well. She seemed to be enjoying herself, watching the sunset. The myrmidon occasionally found it to be . . . well, a little insipid, but if Priscilla enjoyed it, he would endure. After all, he certainly enjoyed being with Priscilla.

"Guy?" she purred. Guy swallowed hard. "Yes, Priscilla?" The troubadour turned to face the Sacaen, and she looked him in the eye. It was there she felt her first feeling of doubt. Guy wasn't such a bad person, after all. He certainly seemed to appreciate her, and maybe he even fancied her. Maybe, Priscilla thought, I should let Erk go. Was this all worth it? She was trying to make Erk jealous, and use Guy as training, but . . . was it all worth it? Her instinct said yes. She needed the mage. She could not be happy with anyone else.

"Guy, thank you for saving my life." she said. Guy blushed, and bit his lip.

"You already thanked me for that." he replied, a little confused. Priscilla nodded.

"Not properly." And she pressed her body close to his and kissed him. Guy was a little shocked by such warmth, but he soon adjusted and kissed her back. Priscilla felt her heart flutter, and she broke away. Wordlessly, she turned and walked to her cabin. Her emotions were churning, and she felt strange. If I need Erk so much . . . why did that kiss feel so right? I can't be falling for Guy! she thought. Can I?

"What a beautiful sunset!" Rebecca exclaimed. Raven stood at attention, gazing out at the sunset which had everyone raving. He had no time for beauties of nature. Rebecca watched the light play across the features of the mercenary, and smiled happily. Raven could be so callous at times, but she certainly liked what she saw on the outside!

"Oh come on, Raven!" she said irritably. "Things aren't always about war. Fighting and revenge aren't the natural way of life, you know." Raven frowned, and turned to face her.

"Revenge? What gave you that idea?" he asked. Rebecca shifted, and she looked uncomfortable.

"I, um . . . well, never mind." she said hurriedly. Then her face softened. "Raven. There is more to life than just the sword."

"Things like this?" he snarled, surprised at his sudden anger. He gestured at the picturesque view. "I don't have time for insipid things like this! Sunsets and flowers! What use are they in my quest?" Raven was startled to find himself shouting in a rage, but he was too far gone to pull out now.

"Sunsets and flowers can't bring back my parents!" he bellowed, before swerving around and running away. Rebecca stood there, shocked and upset, and tears began flowing freely from her eyes.

Sain was watching from a distance, and turned away. He knew she would not want him to see her cry. Inside, he was burning. How could Raven do this to the poor girl! And he felt ashamed; not on behalf of Raven or Rebecca, but because of himself. He wanted to comfort the poor girl. To his surprise, there was no thought of flirting or 'skirt-chasing' in his mind at all. All he wanted to do was ease her pain. The only problem was his reputation. If he even came near her, people would undoubtedly think he was going to take advantage of her to boost his reputation. The Green Lance came to his decision. He would comfort her when no-one would see him.

Rebecca buried her face in her arm, sobbing. Why would Raven hurt her so? He had been so friendly . . . well, not friendly, but it was a lot more than anyone else had gotten out of him! To think, she had even started harbouring foolish ideas of romance . . . she cursed her stupidity bitterly. Raven was not human. No human could be so callous, so . . . so cold. And worse: she had called him friend. Rebecca gazed out at the sun, which had finally sunk below the horizon. Night was coming, and it would be cold. She might as well go to bed.

Sometime later in the night.

"My Lord Eliwood." said the Paladin. The Pheraen turned to face his guard.

"Marcus! How are things?" he asked, before hiding a yawn. Marcus was quick to spot it, however.

"You are tired, my Lord. You should get some rest." Eliwood finished yawning.

"You're right, Marcus. I'm just . . ."

"Worried about your father?" asked Marcus hesitantly. Eliwood nodded.

"We're getting close to the Dread Isle, Marcus. I can feel it." he said. The Paladin nodded, and decided to cut to the point.

"My Lord Eliwood, there is something I feel you should be informed of. I was doing my rounds of the cabins, and the Lady Tactician's bunk was empty. I talked with my trainee, Lowen, as well as Fargus and his 'first mate' Dart. None of them have seen Lady Kaira since the meeting."

Eliwood bit his lip, the worry clearly etched on his brow. It wasn't uncommon for Lady Kaira to occasionally seek solitude, but she usually wasn't gone this long. Plus, with an assassin on board, one who's intentions were unclear . . .

"Marcus. We need to initiate a ship-wide search. Something may have happened to Lady Kaira." he said, pausing only to grab his Rapier from his bedside.

"I'll come with you." said Hector, emerging from the shadows. "Matthew's been gone all day. Sure, he's a spy, but where's a spy going to go on a boat?" Eliwood nodded.

"We may as well begin the search for this assassin while we're at it. Wake everyone. I mean _everyone_, Marcus. Absolutely no exceptions, except for injury." he ordered. Marcus saluted him, and quickly ran down the corridor.

"Now, Hector. Let's go." Eliwood said. The Ostian was confused. "Eliwood, why just us? Shouldn't we wait for Marcus and everyone else?" The red-haired youth shook his head.

"I didn't want to say it in front of Marcus, in case my fears were groundless. But Lady Lyndis has been acting . . . well, odd today. She's been acting kind of . . . brutal." Hector frowned.

"Brutal? A bit of an odd choice of words, Eliwood!" Eliwood nodded.

"Well, it seemed to be the right word. She's been . . well, brutal, but she's been really harsh to everyone. Quite unnecessarily, too. She sent Florina away in tears. Not even an apology." Hector's eyes widened.

"Wow . . . maybe we should go and have a talk with her." Eliwood grinned.

"I'm assuming there's more than one meaning behind the word 'talk'?" Hector playfully slapped his friend's shoulder and began walking to Lyn's cabin.

"You know me too well." he said.

Lyn was woken to the tapping of steel on wood. She lit the oil lamp near her bedside, and saw a hard-faced Eliwood standing over her, with Hector and his massive Wolf Beil behind him.

"Eliwood!" she gasped, instinctively drawing the sheets higher. "What is the meaning of this! You can't just stroll, unannounced, into a sleeping woman's room!" Eliwood placed the tip of his Rapier at her throat. Lyn made to shove it away, but the impulse died when she saw the look in the Pheraen's eyes. "Eliwood?"

"Lyn. You've not been yourself today. You've been . . . barbaric." Lyn opened her mouth to object, but paused when she tried to remember what had happened that day.

"Eliwood . . . I can't remember anything I did today." she said, slightly awed. "Not one thing since this morning, when X visited me." Eliwood and Hector exchanged a glance.

"X?" inquired Hector, holding his axe tight. Lyn nodded.

"That's what the assassin's name was, or rather what he said it was. X." Eliwood decided to cut to the chase.

"Lyn, we're here because of certain . . . connections." Lyn was silent, and completely bewildered. Eliwood continued.

"Lady Kaira has gone missing. No-one has seen her since the meeting. You've been acting aggressive all day, you even made Florina cry. No apology whatsoever. The assassin visits you, and only you. You hang back to talk with Lady Kaira, and she suddenly goes missing. And to seal it all off, you can't remember a single thing you did today." Lyn froze. "Eliwood . . . what are you saying?"

"I think this 'X' drugged you, and that you are responsible for the Lady Tactician's disappearance." he finished. Lyn gave a start, and sighed.

"What makes it worse is that it's all too possible." she said sadly. "There's some kind of mark on the back of my neck. It hasn't been there before, and I only discovered it when I came to bed." The Sacaen got out of bed and pulled her ponytail away, exposing the back of her neck. Hector and Eliwood peered close. It was a red mark, and it looked tender. A tiny mark in the shape of an 'X', and the skin was purple and scaly.

"Lyn, I think Eliwood's theory is correct. There is an 'X' on the back of your neck." said Hector. Lyn straightened up, and her face was desperate.

"We need to find this assassin!" she cried. "I'm so worried about Kaira. If it really was me that made her disappear . . ." Lyn hurried for the door when Eliwood stopped her.

"Lyn." he said, and pointed down. The Sacaen glanced down and remembered she was in her underwear. Lyn blushed in embarrassment, and quickly threw on a gown while Eliwood and Hector politely turned their backs.

The three Lord's charged out of the cabin.

Florina was again in the dark cavern, with torches adorning the far walls. It was massive, like a mountain had been hollowed out. Pits of lava bubbled all around, and Florina looked around frantically.

"Huey! . . . . Huuueeeyyy! Where are you, Huey? Why did you fly off like that? . . ." she called, her voice bouncing around the structure, creating a suitably 'creepy' effect. "Lady Lyndis?" she called tentatively. "Lady Lyndis?" Florina called, looking around her with frightened eyes. There was no answer. She was alone, inside a giant volcano. She wandered over to a particularly large pool of molten rock, coming as close as the ambient heat would allow her. The light from the inferno was dazzling, and the heat was almost painful. Florina watched in wonderment . . . until she heard footsteps behind her. Spinning around, she clutched her lance to her like a small child clutches his or her favourite toy.

A green-cloaked assassin was stalking her, and she grasped her lance. She kept the point aimed at the man.

"Who are you?" she shouted, but her voice quavered with fear. The man smiled, and looked her in the eye. This man's eyes were almost supernaturally blue, and he unsheathed a dagger.

"Florina. Pegasus Knight of Ilia. We meet at last." Florina tried a feeble thrust at the assassin, but he laughed and disappeared.

"Behind you." he whispered. Florina screamed, and with the sound of a thunderclap, he was gone again.

"Florina." he said, reappearing in front of her. "This is no dream." he said. "What happens to you here occurs in the real world." The girl was shaking badly, and her lance slipped from her hands and fell into the liquid fire. It barely splashed, but it burned rather spectacularly.

"I-i-i-if th-this isn't a dream, it m-must be real, right?" she squeaked. The man nodded. "B-but you just s-s-said that the r-real world and this p-place were different." The assassin stayed silent. Florina curled up into a ball.

"What do these visions mean?" she whispered. The assassin knelt next to her, and she tried to pull away.

"In due time, Florina. In due time, all things will be revealed." he explained gently.

He shoved her backwards into the flaming abyss.

She screamed, her limbs windmilling as she fell, and she was caught by something unseen, barely a few inches from the magma. The heat was intense, and t hurt a little. Florina blinked from the light, and her sight blurred and faded.

A girl appeared. Everything was blurry, but for this girl with blue eyes, lavender hair and a green robe. She was badly hurt, and clinging to some part of something wooden. The ship, Florina realized. She's propped against some part of the outside of the ship! It was Tactician Kaira! The vision faded, and another appeared.

This newest premonition was of a man in a red cloak. Blood stained his chest, and he lay unconscious on a wooden beam. With a jolt, Florina recognized the man as Matthew, the thief who had helped Lady Lyndis one year ago.

"Save one," said the man's voice in her ear. "Save one, or save the other. But one will die."

And she fell into the fire. It burned at a level not even comprehensible, and Florina screamed until she thought the mountain would collapse on top of her. The pain was unbelievable, and she felt a horrible nothingness creep up her body . . .

Screaming, she awoke. Florina felt around herself in the dark, running her hands up and down her body to make sure she was all there. The vision had been so intense, so _real_ . . . and that man. The assassin in the green cloak. Could he be the one that saved her life in Badon? Perhaps he was dead, and she had seen him in that strange hell she visited almost nightly. It would go along with the fact that the first vision she seen were dead people.

But her mission was clear. Save Matthew, or save Lady Kaira. Florina started to cry, curling up into a ball. How could she kid herself into choosing between life or death for two of her friends! The parting words of the assassin echoed in her mind.

"Save one, or save the other. But one will die."

She knew what had to be done.

Wow . . . just a bit longer than expected! And I'm so sorry for not updating for so long . . . but I've finally gotten into my stride, so expect Person's Unknown to roar ahead! A reminder to read and review.

Next chapter: Florina is forced to make a choice between saving Matthew's life or saving Kaira's, Ninian arrives, things between Rebecca and raven get a little tense. Sain . . . is pretty much Sain, and the Black Fang boards the _Davros_!


	7. Chapter VII: Life Or Death

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter:

X disappeared from Lyn's cabin, but not before drugging her with some unknown dust. Guy took Priscilla on a date, and now the troubadour is feeling mixed up about her feelings for Erk and her feelings for Guy. Serra (finally) apologized to Lucius about the gender mistake, and Raven exploded at Rebecca and stormed off. Matthew was severely injured by X and left to die, and Lyn attacked Kaira- her condition is yet to be discovered. Florina had another vision, and now she must choose- save the tactician, or save Matthew?

Thanks to Skimmy for giving me the inspiration and encouragement (and nagging) to write this chapter.

**Chapter VII: Life Or Death**

Matthew stirred in his precarious balance on the wooden beam. He wanted to wake up, but it was almost like someone was holding a damp cloth over his brain and his face. Nothing responded, and by now his brain was awake and whirring.

_What the heck is wrong? I can't move- I can't wake up!_

Just calm down. Think back. What happened before this?

'_Sir' shoved me out of the ship, and I fell in the water. I climbed back in and back on the beam when he slashed me across the chest and I passed out._

I can't wake up . . . I'm trapped . . .

The spy's physical form was completely motionless, and only X knew of the internal struggle.

"Blasted spy . . ." he murmured. "Never go easily, do you Matthew?" X slipped into the darkness and reappeared next to the body. He pulled on a black glove, made of soft leather, and unscrewed the lid to his bottle of green gel. The assassin was annoyed at the amount of the drug he was being forced to use on this annoying spy. Still, he didn't take chances; and he rubbed another fingertip-full of the sleep-inducing drug into Matthew's neck.

Matthew's feeble struggles to overcome the drug failed, and he slipped back into oblivion.

X watched the spy for a little while, finally satisfied. No change there, not after the extra amount he put on him. Now Matthew would be lucky to wake at all. X chuckled as a memory came to mind. He had left a message with Florina in a rather . . . _unique_ way.

Frowning, X vanished into blackness to check on Kaira. The girl wouldn't find Matthew; if she did, she couldn't do anything about it. But the tactician . . . that was different.

Try as he did, he couldn't leave without a smug remark to the sleeping thief.

"I make sure, remember?" he said, before merging with the darkness, lost to sight.

Florina peered over the bow of the ship, craning her neck to see below. She had to find Kaira and Matthew- but the man said one would die. The assassin in her dream told her she must choose who to save. Inwardly, however, she was screaming. _I can't do this! _she screamed. _I'm not Elimine! I don't choose who lives or dies, I can't! It's not my place!_ But Florina knew this choice would not be taken away from her- she would have to effectively kill one of her friends.

Florina peered over the railing of the ship, her eyes watching for any kind of sign that Kaira would be down there. It was early morning, and the sunset was beautiful. The Pegasus Knight would be able to enjoy that, at least. But through Florina's eyes, the rising sun seemed bloody and gruesome. Someone would die this day, and Florina would choose who. She felt so helpless.

"Ahoy! Lass! You a Pegasus Knight?" called a voice. The girl spun around to see the berserk Fargus walking across the deck towards her. Immediately her fear of men sprang to the surface, but she tried to squash it.

"Um, yes. Yes I am a Pegasus Knight . . . why?" she squeaked. The corsair's face showed compassion- a surprising trait for a pirate.

"There there, lass. I ain't going to hurt you. No need to be feared. It's just that there's a Pegasus in the stables that's actin' up, an' I thought if it's yours, it needs calmin' down." Florina bit her lip. Huey acting up? Unusual to be sure . . . but her mind was completely swept off subject when an answer to her prayers appeared in front of her.

"Um, F-F-Fargus?" she whispered shyly. "There's an assassin on board . . ." the captain turned back to her. "Yes, lass, I know this already." Florina continued regardless.

"B-but he's got K-Kaira . . . he's hurt her bad. And he's got Matthew . . . they're both bleeding. And . . . and he told me I h-have to choose who . . . who l-lives and who . . ." she couldn't say it. No matter how she tried, Florina just couldn't say it out loud. The captain had given his full attention to the tiny girl in front of him, this little girl that had started to cry.

"An' . . . an' how did you find this out?" he asked dumbly. Florina sniffled.

"I . . . I had . . kind of an . . um, a . . . premonition?"

"A dream?" asked Fargus skeptically. "You _dreamt_ about this?" The Pegasus Knight nodded, mute.

"Well, we need to find them both- at the same time." he announced. Florina looked up at him with wide eyes. "Hunh?"

"If this is true, the assassin will either be guarding one or both. If we save them at the same time, then there's no need to fear." he reasoned, before turning abruptly and charging down the deck.

Florina followed him meekly, her anxiety still flowing around her like the very sea they were sailing on. If both of them died . . . she began to weep softly. One way or another, she would not be happy with herself for a long, long time.

Lyn felt the mark on the back of her neck. This 'X' character . . . he was strange. Nothing he did made any sense. He had spared her life _twice_, spared Sain and Kent and Kaira's . . . but now her friend was missing, and worse, Lyn herself was a prime suspect in the case. He was an unusual fellow, and he had regarded them almost as _friends_ during their first encounter.

And those eyes . . . those blue eyes . . . they hinted at everything and revealed nothing. Lyn had never seen those eyes before; they seemed to carve deep into her memory and remind her of something, but for the inescapable fact that she had never met X before!

Lyndis groaned as she accidentally prodded her mark too hard. It was still tender. Lyn tried to recall something, _anything_ about that day, but nothing came to mind. She made an exasperated noise, which made Hector and Eliwood turn briefly.

"Lyndis?" asked Hector. "What is it?" Eliwood studied her with those eyes of his, and Lyn blinked. Eliwood's eyes . . . they were almost exactly like X's! Perhaps a bit lighter . . . and too honest, she realized. They had depth. Warmth. The assassin's eyes had depth, but it was the kind that made you feel like you were falling into them, and they were cold and icy.

"I can't remember anything I did today! I've tried and tried, but I can't remember a thing!" Eliwood sighed.

"I warned you that might be a side-effect, Lyndis. Just keep trying." he said, before moving further down the deserted corridor. The Sacaen grumbled.

"It's so frustrating though . . . not one detail . . ." she complained. Hector gave her a light pat on the back before shouldering his Wolf Beil and walking after Eliwood. Both Ostian and Pheraen were less than a metre ahead when it happened.

"You can't remember anything . . . perhaps now?" said a voice in her ear. Lyn screamed and lunged for her Mani Katti. Eliwood and Hector turned around and saw the green-cloaked menace behind Lyn.

"Lyn, move!" Hector shouted, barrelling down the hallway. X ran a finger quickly across the mark and- for some strange reason- breathed softly on her neck.

Eliwood slashed at the man as Lyndis sank to her feet. But, predictably, X had vanished, leaving an echoing laugh.

"Blast that man!" Eliwood roared. "He can't have gone far! Hector! Come on!" But Hector was kneeling at Lyndis' side, a concerned expression on his face. The noblewoman was kneeling down, her hands over face. The mark on the back of her neck was _glowing_, and sobs racked her body.

"Lyndis! What is it!" asked Hector. She was unable to reply . . .

_Lyn was having a true out of body experience. The day passed by in fast-forward, occasionally stopping at the points where she had been brutal and even evil._

"_Florina! Why did you interrupt me!" Lyn bellowed. The girl was shocked. Lyn was not herself. Why was she so mean all of a sudden?_

"_Just get out! Leave me! I'm sick of you- you never leave me alone! You're so _weak_, Florina! Take care of yourself for once!" she roared, before rising from her chair. Florina whimpered and backed away. Lyn was striding across the deck, yelling furiously as she raised an angry fist. Florina screamed and ran out the door, which slammed shut almost a whole _centimetre_ behind her head. Florina immediately ran away, tears pouring from her eyes._

_Lyn was horrified at what she had done._

"_Florina! I'm so sorry!" she shouted to the void. Then came the scene Lyn had been dreading- the meeting. Kaira. Lyndis would finally find out the truth: did she kill her best friend?_

_Lyn hung back. Kaira sighed quietly, she had seen this coming. The Sacaen's eyes were still hard as flint, but Kaira was not intimidated. At least she could apologize now, to her face, for what seemed like the hundredth time._

"_Lyn," she began, but the noblewoman cut her off._

"_You nearly killed Florina." she intoned. "Not only that . . . I have reason's to believe you did it on purpose." Kaira was aghast. _

"_Lyn! Are you nuts! Why would I-"_

"_I've known you for the longest time, longer than anyone here, Kaira." Lyn interrupted, her fingers slowly wrapping around the hilt of her Mani Katti. The tactician's eyes did not miss such a subtle move. "I can't believe you'd do such a thing." she finished. Kaira nodded furiously, backing up. _

"_Exactly, Lyn! I didn't-"_

"_But people change." Lyn cut in. "People always change. I need to eradicate the mole in this army." The Sacaen purposefully unsheathed her sword, and lifted it high._

"_Goodbye, Kaira." Lyn whispered. The tactician's eyes were wide, and she bumped against the wall. There was no escape. The Mani Katti swooped down._

_The sacred sword plunged through part of her neck and down through her chest, almost to the heart. With a savage growl of triumph, Lyndis ripped the blade from the tactician's body, allowing the blood to spill on the floor. Kaira collapsed, her eyes glazed and unblinking. Lyn licked her lips and slashed Kaira across the stomach, her soul delighting in bloodshed._

_Then the noblewoman left, leaving the body to bleed on the wood._

"It's true . . ." she sobbed. "I can't believe it . . . it's all true . . ." Hector placed his arms around her and held her tight.

"It's alright." he said softly.

"No, Hector . . ." Lyn wept. "It's not alright . . . I killed her. I killed Kaira!" she screamed. Hector swore, and held the hysterical woman closer. The Ostian had never experienced matters like this. But he knew, deep down, that she would need to find comfort. And it would be here, in his arms.

"So Kaira is dead?" he said weakly. Lyn couldn't bring herself to say it. So, she nodded. "It's all my fault . . ." she said wretchedly. Hector shook his head firmly.

"It's _not_ your fault. It's that 'X'. It's X's fault, all of it. All blame lies with him. You'd been drugged. You weren't yourself- you had no control over your actions." he explained. Lyn allowed herself to be hugged, taking comfort from the unlikely source.

"I murdered Kaira . . . she's dead . . ." she mumbled.

The tactician blinked slowly, and peered through heavy eyelids. The blood was still wet, and Kaira felt weak. The gashes across her stomach and chest were still open, and still blood seeped from them. The tactician was surprised, though her fatigued state dulled it a little. _How can I lose this much blood and still be alive?_ she thought.

Kaira squinted at the bright light from the water. It only then occurred to her that she was on the outside of the ship. The tactician twisted her head slowly, trying to get a bearing on her position. A sarcastic grin appeared on her face.

_How . . . cliched. I'm in the place of the figurehead,_ she thought. _I'm strapped here, on the front of the ship, _instead_ of the figurehead_. _Looks like the buxom wooden girl has been replaced with a buxom _human_ girl_.

Kaira slipped back into unconsciousness, blood still wetting her robe and dripping into the ocean. All a Pegasus Knight would have to do is fly out ahead of the ship, turn around, and they would see her. Assuming she wasn't dead by then . . .

The ropes that secured her to the bulkhead creaked, and a tiny fibre snapped from the strain. It was only a matter of time before she plunged into the ocean . . .

"Ahoy!" a sailor shouted. "There's a small dory adrift to port!" Lyn, still weak from her revelation, said nothing. Hector gave her a gentle smile, while Eliwood turned his attention to the sailor.

"What is it?"

"A small boat. It's collided with us. There's no damage to us, but there's someone on board." he explained. "And that's the strange thing, you see. Anything that hit us would have had to come from the Dread Isle."

"The Dread Isle." echoed Hector. Eliwood had closed his eyes.

"Please, Father." he prayed. "Hold on."

Dart was over at the side, helping the corsairs to heave the dory over the side. His muscled arms stood out, and seawater dripped off them in streams. The boat was heavy, but not in the extreme. With a groan, he lifted it over his head and lowered it to the deck. The oak timber of the wood was old, very old. Dart was surprised it was still waterproof, never mind seaworthy!

As for the lad inside . . . Dart peered over the rim and noticed that there was no lad. Someone was inside, alright, but it wasn't what he expected.

A rather pretty girl lay inside the boat, wearing a light blue dress. Her icy blue hair was messy and in disarray; and both the edges of the fine dress and the tips of her hair were wet, confirming Dart's suspicions.

The brawny corsair reached forward to pick the girl up when he hesitated. Normally, he'd just grab someone by their belly and toss the over his shoulder, but somehow he sensed it would be wrong if he did so here. He could hurt her; she was so frail looking, and really pretty . . .

_Wha? Where'd that come from?_ he asked himself. Still, he couldn't risk hurting the girl . . .

"Ahoy! Mates! Leave 'er be for a second!" A couple of the smart-alecks among them snickered.

"Aw, is poor Darty going to the captain? He has to go to the big safe captain for every decision, doesn't he?" they cooed, before falling about laughing. Dart rounded on them, cracking his knuckles ominously and flexing his muscles. The laughter promptly died.

"Erm . . sure. We'll leave the lass be." said Flaefir, the leader of their little group. He was tall, unusually so, and he was slender. He was a weakling by Dart's books; he could barely lift a Steel Axe!; but he was a skillful swordsman, and it was easy to underestimate him. Being Sacaen helped him with that . . . and Dart was only wary whenever he was acting up. Like now, for example.

The thing that did not make _any_ sense about Flaefir was his legs. They were long, powerful, and disproportionately muscular. Dart had seen Flaefir when he was in battle. One kick to the head of an archer had almost sent Flaefir's boot through the other side of the poor man's skull. He was a fast runner and an amazing jumper; like a gazelle. His major weaknesses were his ego, which he flaunted at every opportunity, and his constitution. A single good blow to the torso would send him out like a light- providing he didn't kick you and put you in hospital.

Nevertheless, Flaefir gave Dart a wide berth as he passed through him to go to the Lord's. The ape-like corsair wouldn't be happy for long. The Swordmaster decided to go down into his cabin; planning would be needed. Revenge would be sought upon the first mate of the _Davros_, or his name wasn't Flaefir.

Dart came over to Lyn and the rest. They regarded his presence with mild curiosity, and waited quietly for Dart to deliver his message. The corsair turned towards Lyn.

"Erm . . ." he began, suddenly unsure. "Can you give me a hand? I don't know where to . . . grab her." he said awkwardly. Hector grinned.

"Such a gentleman." he teased. Dart breathed deeply. They were guests, and not to be hurt; the Ostian just had particularly bad timing.

"Stow it!" he snarled, a tad more venomous than he meant. Hector felt offended, but decided not to show it.

Dart led the noblewoman over to the dinghy, and Lyn demonstrated in the air how to pick a girl up. Dart followed carefully, and scooped the lady out of the boat, bringing her to the three Lord's.

"Here she comes . . ." said Hector. "It's . . . it's a girl!"

"Ninian!" cried Eliwood, as the girl and Lyndis arrived. Hector was confused.

"You know her?" he asked. Eliwood nodded.

"It's how Lyndis and I met one year back." he explained. The Ostian nodded, and looked at the maiden, who was now standing up.

"Ninian?" asked Eliwood, with a concerned face. Lyndis took over; and the anxiety was clear in her voice.

"Ninian? Are you okay? Say something! Where's Nils? Why isn't he with you?" she said quickly. Ninian opened her eyes, and her bright crimson eyes seemed distant, hollow.

"Nils?" echoed Hector, confused again.

"Ninian's brother." Eliwood explained, smiling. It was obvious Hector was frustrated, he was completely new to all of this. Ninian blinked, and she slumped over.

"Wha . . ." she mumbled. "Wh . . . who . . . unh . ." Lyndis bit her lip.

"Eliwood, something's wrong with her. Ninian, wake up!" she cried. The girl seemed confused, and her speech was clear, but it was monotonous. Hector studied the dancer, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Ni . . . Nin . . . Ninian? Is that . . . me? Is that . . . my . . . my name?" she whispered, and the fear was bright in her eyes. That was when the pin dropped. A really big pin, with the sound of steel on wood.

"Eliwood, Lyndis. Look at her eyes. There's . . . nothing. No iris, no pupil, no white bits. It's all just crimson." he said with wonder. Eliwood looked the dancer in the eyes, and saw that his friend spoke true.

"Get her inside." he ordered. "Put her in my cabin, it's the closest." Lyndis nodded, trying to stem the feelings rushing around inside her. There was the joy of seeing Ninian again, the anxiety over what had happened, the curiosity about just what _had_ happened, and the sadness of her killing her best friend. Kaira was dead.

Hector was still out, enjoying the afternoon breeze.

"Say, Eliwood." he began. "This assassin, this 'X' . . . d'you think he's done something to Matthew?" The Pheraen shook his head, then paused.

"No . . . well, maybe. Why?" Hector looked out at the sea.

"Well, he hasn't been around for all of yesterday and today . . . not even a single comment at Serra. In fact, the last time we saw him was just before the meeting." he said. "And now Kaira is dead, killed by Lyndis, who was drugged by this man . . ." Hector looked at Eliwood. "Do you think, maybe . . ."

The pin dropped again. This time, strangely, it was the sound of wood on wood. Something big and wooden had hit something else big and wooden. Hector was fine, all vibrations absorbed by his thick armour. Eliwood stumbled slightly, but as soon as he caught hold of the railing he was fine too.

"Uwaaaaaaaaa!" came the deafening shout from below the deck. "Breached! The hull's been breached! We're taking in water!" Hector pointed to a pair of ships that had suddenly appeared from nowhere.

"Eliwood, look!" he shouted. The ships had pulled up alongside the Davros, and a row of steel spikes below the waterline had carved deep into the belly of their vessel.

"Breached?" growled Fargus, who had appeared from nowhere. "Those scum are more dangerous than I thought!" Flaefir came speeding up behind Fargus.

"It looks bad, Captain." he said, with extraordinarily no fear in his voice. "The water's up to the galley." Fargus was not to be deterred, and hefted his massive axe with a practiced hand.

"You take care of it! I'm going to carve these scallywags some new gizzards!" Flaefir placed a hand on Fargus' hairy chest, stopping him- a near unforgivable act.

"Captain, we need _all_ hands below decks, or we'll sink." he said firmly. Eliwood stepped in to defend Flaefir's position.

"He's right! Leave the fighting to us, it's what we're good at! But a sinking ship? That's your affair!" Fargus lowered his head.

"Fine!" he shouted. "We'll be back as soon as we've plugged the breach in the hull. But I want none of ye dyin', ye hear!"

"Just go!" Hector bellowed, incredibly shoving the man towards the hull. Fargus went at an easy trot, while Flaefir reached the galley in almost a record three seconds.

"Kaira!" Eliwood bellowed, as usual. Then he stopped. Kaira was dead. She would not be helping in this battle. The first time they would have to fend for themselves. Without her guidance, it was all too possible it could be the last time too.

Lyn left the cabin, and Ninian, in a hurry. It was a painful reminder of the fact that Kaira was dead; it was their first battle without her. But what could she use as an alibi? Lyndis could not, no matter what, let them know she had killed Kaira. She would have to explain to the group that the tactician had been murdered, and the culprit was not yet apprehended. It was close enough to the truth anyway.

The Sacaen closed the door and hurried outside, where the army had undoubtedly gathered.

The door opened softly, and footsteps were barely audible before the door shut with a tiny click. Ninian stirred, and her odd eyes opened.

"Unh . . . wh . . . who . . . ?" she whispered. The only reply was silence, and darkness, until . . .

X appeared from nowhere, next to her bedside. The girl was frightened, and she couldn't move. X's eyes flashed over her body, taking in every detail, every curve beneath the bedsheets that clung to her body.

"Incredible . . ." he murmured. "Dragon-girl . . . child of ice . . ." Ninian started to hyperventilate, and her eyes seemed to brighten.

"Wha . . . how . . . . how did . . . you . . ." X smiled coldly.

"My dear dragon, there is so much more to me than meets the eye." he explained, while fingering the dagger by his waist. Ninian seemed to be a hollow shell, and the effect of her emptiness would have creeped out most people. Still, X wasn't exactly 'most people'.

"You . . ." Ninian whispered. "Cre . . . you . . . the mis-mistake? Bra . . . Bram-" X's eyes widened.

"Quiet!" he hissed, before lunging for her face. One of the stupidest things he'd ever done.

His hand closed over her mouth, muffling all words and sounds. X smirked, until he felt the pain.

"Wha . . ." he murmured, before stiffening. Something was happening, and it hurt. His eyes grew wide. It was the most inexplicable feeling, as though his very essence was being leeched out of him through the palm of his hand.

"Pleas . . . no . . . ergh . . ." he groaned. The pain was coursing through his body, and the veins on his hand rose from the skin, becoming bolder and clearer. X tried to pull his hand away from Ninian's mouth, and only barely succeeded. A glowing, shimmering substance was being drawn from his hand, and flowing into the dragon-girl's face. It was like liquid glass, though nothing like it. It sparkled, and the streaks of colour within it were the purest and brightest that the world had ever seen. It twisted in a strand, a continuous flow of this mysterious energy.

X sank to his knees, screaming. He couldn't move a muscle, and the pain was incredible. Ninian quietly rose from the bed, her eyes gleaming.

"Pow . . power . . ." she whispered maliciously. X broke out in a sweat, the pain paralyzing him completely. Through the pain, through the dense cloak of intense agony, X wasn't sure what to think. It was almost as though his emotions were being wiped away, his personality erased. Like his very soul was being removed. _No!_ he thought. _I will not let this happen!_

It seemed to X that he was moving through molasses, as his spare hand reached for his dagger. The air had liquefied through his eyes, and grabbed at his arm with impish fingers to stop him.

"I will . . not let this happen!" he roared. He couldn't do anything, however, as the flow of the magical energy had ceased. X fell to the floor, breathing hard. Ninian was standing over him, and her eyes seemed devilish, almost evil.

"Mistake . . . you who was created . . . they did well to fall so short of their goal." she whispered to the writhing and gasping body. The dancer turned abruptly and slipped back into bed, briefly licking her lips.

Eliwood, Hector and Lyndis had each selected their soldiers corresponding to who was under their rule. After a brief uproar at the sudden and violent death of Kaira, they relaxed. Those chosen were:

Guy, Lucius, Florina, Canas, Rebecca, Sain, Kent, Priscilla, Serra, Oswin and their respective ruling Lord's.

"Please, I want everyone to remember," Eliwood shouted. "We only need to hold out for as long as it takes Fargus and his crew to fix the hole. Then they'll take over. Does anyone not understand?" Silence reigned.

"Good." said Hector. "Now let's go!"

Guy took a few strides forward, and paused as he grabbed his stomach. He moaned, and Priscilla watched him nervously. He was looking a little green.

"Guy?" she asked demurely. "Are you feeling alright?" The Sacaen turned towards her.

"Yeah," he groaned. "Just a little seasick. The floor keeps moving." Priscilla turned away towards her pack, where her staves were kept and cushioned to prevent damage. Guy was concerned. There was no way he was going to be taken out of this battle!

"I can still work my sword arm, so I'm fine!" he stammered. Priscilla gave him an odd look.

"I was just getting a little medicine, Guy." she said, a little hurt. She closed her bag and reached into a side pocket, pulling out a small vial of orange liquid. The troubadour tossed it to him.

"Drink this. It's a wonderful cure for seasickness." she explained, before riding away. Guy looked at the bottle of fluid before popping the cap and drinking it in one mouthful. It tasted like sweet oranges, and it worked almost immediately. Guy felt his stomach settle, and a rush of energy came with his calmness. The Sacaen recognised his strange hyperactivity. Priscilla must have put a lot of sugar in the mix.

The myrmidon hurtled down the stairs towards the group of shamans when a scream erupted from behind him, through the cabin door. Guy froze, and banged open the door.

"What's going on!" he roared, before clamping his mouth tightly shut. There was an unknown girl asleep in the bed, and there was a body on the floor. It was covered partially in a green cloak, and the man stirred. Guy was intrigued. Where had he seen that outfit before?

X rose to his feet with deadly grace, drawing his dagger at the sounds of battle. He turned towards the open doorway, and saw Guy standing there, with his mouth open in an expression of hatred.

"Aw, crap." X muttered, and he shielded his face. It was far too late. Guy had seen his eyes, those luminous blue eyes, and the identity came rushing back.

"You!" he snarled. X ran straight for the Sacaen, with his dagger wielded like a small sword. Aggression was needed for the illusion to work.

"Die!" he shouted, as he attempted to spear-tackle Guy. The swordsman dropped low, and the assassin flew straight overhead. X rolled to a stop, and stood up.

"And now I thank you, Guy, for allowing me access out of here." he said, smiling, before disappearing into the melee. Guy watched him blend into the battle, and stood there.

_Smart move, Guy. Smart move,_ he chided himself.

"By the power bestowed within me of St Elimine, I strike thee with the pure light of the blessings of divinity! Lightning!" Lucius cried. The tome glowed, and a ball of blinding light struck a shaman across the chest, making him collapse to the deck.

_There are so many . . . can I possibly stop them all?_

There is no need to fear, Lucius . . . after all, death only results in your reward from St Elimine. Should we fall . . . well, it will be a shame to say goodbye to your friends. But you do not fear death, do you?

_No. I do not fear it._

The monk struck the tome with a clenched fist and hurled a particularly potent Lightning spell at a shaman. It struck him in the face, melting his features and shoving him backwards, over the railing and into the water.

Then, pain. Lucius saw the darkness spread over his right arm, the unholy blackness crushing and liquefying his limb. He screamed. The agony was incredible.

"Lucius! Wait!" Serra shrieked from the balcony. She bravely hurtled the railing and dropped to the deck, running for the injured monk. The cleric paused. How would she defend herself in the midst of all those shamans?

A cry came from the prow of the ship.

"Thief! I've been robbed!" cried Merlinus.

Serra turned around in time to see a green-cloaked figure flew over her head, grasping a rope in one hand and an iron sword in the other.

"Who on earth?" she whispered. It wasn't Matthew, his cloak was red. Could it possibly be the assassin that the tactician had told her about before she died?

X landed next to Lucius, who was being encircled by the shamans. The man was on the ground, his right arm useless and decaying rapidly. His tome lay forgotten on the deck.

"You. Monk." said X, his sword point flickering at the dark users closing in. "Can you stand?" Lucius nodded.

"Good. I will cut a path. There is a cleric just outside of these people. Go to her." Lucius looked X in his eyes, or tried to. The assassin stoically avoided eye contact, and Lucius felt unexpected sadness.

"Child, you are not wicked. Do not-" X rounded on him.

"Shut up, monk! Do not even think that I will save you if you continue!" The assassin paused to run a shaman through that had strayed too close. He removed his sword with a violent yank and cuffed the shaman over the head. Another one for the water.

"Now go!" X shouted. The shamans raised their tomes and started chanting, with balls of darkness appearing in front of raised arms. X slashed the belly of an uncommonly bulky shaman. It collapsed, and X saw, with regret, that it was a woman. That explained the bulk.

A ball of darkness whizzed towards his head. The assassin ducked, and it fizzled into non-existence over his head. He promptly gutted the unfortunate shaman.

The bodies were falling thickly, and X was like some demonic wraith. He was everywhere and he was nowhere. The only sight for a shaman was flashing iron, a whirl of a green cloak, and then you were dead.

Eventually, the users of dark magic were defeated. Lucius had only made it a few steps before collapsing to the deck. That pink-haired cleric that X had put with the mage was crouching over Lucius' body, unsure of what to do. She had never treated dark magic wounds before.

X appeared without warning at her side. With widening eyes he noticed that Lucius' right arm was stained entirely black, almost all the way up to the shoulder.

"What do I do?" asked Serra, with tears in her eyes. X unsheathed his sword and held it firmly over Lucius' body. Serra's eyes widened.

"You will not kill him mister!" she screamed in his ear. The assassin's face contorted in annoyance, and he slashed the arm, just above where the line of blackness was. It bled slightly, dampening the white robe with the unsightly red of blood. The severed arm collapsed into a pile of acrid ashes.

"Had we left the injury, it would have festered and overtaken his whole body. He's lucky to have just lost an arm." X explained. He rose to leave, but froze. Serra stood up too.

"Well, I don't know who you are, mister, but thank you-" X cut her off. His eyes were on the jade stone hanging from her pigtail.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, his eyes dark. Serra was astounded by the depth those eyes held. The cleric felt herself falling . . .

"I found it." she said petulantly. X frowned.

"It is mine. I dropped it." he explained, putting his hand out. Serra's lip stiffened considerably.

"No. I don't even know who you are! You could be some evil enemy trying to take advantage of me, a sweet, helpless cleric!" she squealed. Serra gripped her Heal staff like an axe and swung it at X's head. The assassin stood motionless, lazy, grabbing the stave at the last moment and halting it's progress towards his skull.

"Nice try." he said, with real sincerity. With one quick swipe, he cut the staff in half and bounded away. The gem at the tip shattered on contact with the deck, and Serra sniffed moodily.

Lucius groaned, but otherwise just laid there.

Sain trotted carefully out onto the boarding plank, his lance at the ready. Rebecca was just behind him, still on the ship. Sain felt nervous- all it would take was one mishap, and he and his horse would plunge into the water.

"Rebecca?" he began, as he blocked a slash from a mercenary and swung the butt of his lance around to knock the man into the water. "I wanted to-"

"Sain, just no." Rebecca said, launching off an arrow. "I really don't want to hear it. No flirting in a battle. It's what Tactician Kaira would have wanted." Sain felt the usual pang of sorrow at his companion's death.

"No, I didn't want to flirt." Sain blurted. Rebecca stood still. The shock had paralyzed her. Sain didn't want to flirt! She must be dreaming . . .

"I wanted to say I'm sorry." the cavalier continued, pausing to grab a sword from the side of his horse and behead a hapless myrmidon. "I'm sorry for what Raven did. I know it hurt you, and-" Rebecca looked up, her eyes fiery and angry.

"And you thought maybe if you made Raven look like the bad guy, you could take advantage of me when my guard is down and get me to date you!" she screamed. "Ooh, I don't _believe_ you, Sain!"

The cavalier was distraught. His attempt of apologising was crashing down around his ears.

"No, Rebecca!" He calmed down, and this more than anything made the archer take notice- after she performed a critical and pin-cushioned the poor sod that was creeping up behind Sain with an Armourslayer.

"I felt that it was partially my fault." He sighed. "If my reputation wasn't so bad, I could have come down there and comforted you. But, of course, every word would have looked like skirt-chasing, and so I was stuck."

"Then why are you apologising?" asked Rebecca, confused.

"Because that shouldn't have stopped me." he finished. "You were hurt. You needed someone to listen, and I did nothing. You cried yourself to sleep that night, and I did absolutely nothing."

The archer looked at Sain with wide, green eyes.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked, her emerald eyes sparkling. Sain nodded grimly.

"Of course I do." he said. "Milady." he added as an afterthought. Rebecca looked him in the eye.

"Then you are forgiven." she said simply.

X climbed down the front of the ship, the wet rope creaking ominously. Kaira still hung there, her clothes bloody and torn, her shirt half-open from the rip caused by the Mani Katti. X watched her for a moment. Her lavender hair was tattered and messy, and she was soaked. The clothes she wore were still stained with her blood, and her half-open shirt revealed an impressive bust and cleavage.

The assassin quickly slashed the ropes holding her to the figurehead and allowed the tactician to fall over his shoulder. X gripped the wet wood with numb fingers, pausing to look in on the spy through a porthole. The assassin grinned. _Still asleep then, eh Matthew. What did I tell you? I make sure, remember?_

The assassin was halfway up the ship when a lance point prodded him in the back.

"Y-Y-You . . ." came the whispered reply. "Kaira . . . sh-she's alive?" X turned around, already knowing who it was.

"Ah, Florina." said X. "Had a little brush with the ethereal? Evidently you followed the premonition, or you wouldn't be here." The Ilian was shaking, but hatred was clear in her sky-blue eyes.

"You . . . you hurt Kaira . . . you almost killed her!" X grinned maliciously.

"No, Florina. _Lyn_ hurt her. Lyn mutilated the body of your friend." he explained, and his azure eyes glittered.

"You're lying!" Florina screamed. "And c-cover her up! It's not decent!" she demanded, referring to the half-visible breasts of her friend. X frowned.

"You're not exactly in a place to _demand_ anything, Florina!" he shouted. The Pegasus Knight screamed again, and thrust hard with the lance point.

X grabbed the lance point and kicked Huey in the snout, stunning the Pegasus for a few moments. It was all X needed, and he flicked his feet on top of the lance, and leapt up to the surface. He landed hard on the railing of the ship, waking Kaira.

"Lyndis, no!" she howled. So loud and urgent was her cry that all fighting on the ship ceased. Kaira stood on the railing, held tight by X.

"Kaira!" shouted Eliwood.

"Kaira! You're alive!" yelled Lyn, with tears already flowing. "I'm so-" Hector drowned her out, with a completely different topic in mind.

"You! 'X'! You evil, heartless-" X shook his head.

"Oh come now, Hector. It's really not a good idea to insult someone who has a hostage. I just might do this-"

And X brought the dagger up and plunged it into Kaira's heart.

Removing it and efficiently wiping the blade clean, the assassin leapt from the railing and dove into the water- or so it seemed. He had actually grabbed hold of the porthole and climbed in to Matthew's resting point.

Lyn shrieked. There were no words; there did not need to be. It was a sound of pain, of guilt and loss, and of hope shattered. The Sacaen bolted over to the limp body of her friend, the tactician.

"Kaira . . ." she sobbed, cradling her body in her arms. "I'm so sorry . . . I tried . . ."

Priscilla rode over, and held her favourite Mend staff over the body of Kaira. The gem glowed, but in the bright sunlight it was only noticeable to Priscilla, who had trained herself to see such things.

"She's alive, but only just." she remarked to the weeping Lyndis. "It's incredible . . ." Lyn looked at her, tears still streaking down her face.

"Can you heal her!" she demanded. Priscilla bit her lip.

"I doubt very much she'll last the night . . . but I think I can save her."

Cliffhanger! I am such an evil, heartless author. Yep. X has definitely gotten more evil as I go through the story. Very evil indeed. Reviews are much appreciated. I need reviews not only on the story, but reviews stating whether Kaira lives or dies. Because, hey: the readers are always right.

Review Responses:

Sorceress Sakura: You wanted it: you got it. Another chapter- one of my best so far.

Wandering Cat: Thanks for the support. I'm kinda proud of that little tweak where Lyn was drugged.

ThuhGameFreak: Annoying cliffhangers? That's what they're meant to do. There will be quite a few, so you may want to get used to them.

Skimmy: The Criticizer? Nice name. As for people thinking to themself . . . it's my own personal touch. So no flames.

RiosMasquerade: If I told you, I'd have to kill you. X's identity will not be revealed for a long time- but pieces will crop up. Moo hah hah!

A reminder to read and review.


	8. Chapter VIII: The Dread Isle

A Quick (yeah, right) Review Of Last Chapter

Florina wandered around the deck, feeling lost and helpless. How on earth could she be expected to choose between saving the life of Matthew and saving the life of Kaira? Fargus shed some unexpected help, and the two wandered off together. Within the bowels of the ship, Matthew began to show resistance to the drug that X used on him- the sleeping gel. Kaira woke from her wounds to discover she was tied in place of the figurehead, painfully suspended a few metres above the water. Lyn, Hector and Eliwood were hunting for X when he appeared behind Lyndis and ran a finger across the scar on her neck. She then flashed back to see her attempted murder of Kaira, and found comfort in Hector's arms. Ninian arrived, and we met an OC known as Flaefir, a strong and arrogant Swordmaster. The Black Fang invaded the _Davros_, and X met Ninian. A strange and frightening event occured, in which a bright and translucent material was drawn out of X, who promptly collapsed. Florina discovered Kaira . . . and X. The assassin kidnapped the tactician, took her onto the deck, and stabbed her in the heart. Priscilla checked Kaira for life signs, and now must try to save her.

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I came down with a temperature or something, and I was totally brain-dead. But, here it is: Chapter 8. It physically hurt me to write portions of this chapter; you'll see what I'm talking about when you read it. Another reason it took me so long is because I wanted to get the part of the Dread Isle and- um, a particular event- right. So, anyway-

Serra: interrupts Ooh! Finally! Chapter Eight is up! You took your time putting it up!

IceBlade28: Huh? Where the heck did you come from!

Serra: I've been here the whole time? You mean you've just been ignoring me?

IceBlade28: Serra, just shut up. Please.

Serra: What a rude comment! How dare you hurt my feelings!

IceBlade28: Serra, for cryi-

Serra: Quiet! The chapter's starting! Why do you have to talk so much, Taylor!

IceBlade28: sigh Hey! Since when is my name Taylor?

Serra: Erm . . . enjoy the fic!

Thanks to Link015- your review made me have a look at the previous chapter and alter my plans for this one slightly. Thank you again for the review.

**Chapter VIII: The Dread Isle**

Fargus looked down at Kaira's body with pity. The girl had taken an awful lot of punishment, and yet she still had a tiny spark of life in her. Fargus turned away from the body of the tactician, staring out at the calm blue waves of the ocean. This assassin needed to be exterminated. The berserker was still angry at the fact that this green-cloaked demon had been running amok aboard _his_ ship, and that this 'X' was still unaccounted for.

The troubadour, Priscilla, brushed past him with barely an 'Excuse me', holding a cloth coated in some foul-smelling liquid. Though it didn't seem to bother the Etrurian girl one bit, the captain had to step outside for a few moments.

Priscilla paused as the faint smell of vomiting came from behind the door. Shrugging, she went back to the difficult task of keeping Kaira alive.

Lyn leant heavily on the railing, looking out at the calm sea. Things were going crazy. It seemed incomprehensible that Lyndis of Sacae would ever raise a finger to hurt her friend in any way. And yet, here they stood. Kaira had been stabbed, half-gutted, and slashed along the neck and shoulder, and almost all of it had been done by her very hands. Hector had assured her that all blame lied with the murderous assassin that had been stalking them. Lyn knew he was right, but . . . somehow it was hard to accept. What on earth was this man's motives? Everything in her life felt like it was spinning out of control.

It sounded dramatic, but it was probably the truth.

"L . . Lady Lyndis?" The uneasy noblewoman turned around.

"Ninian? How are you feeling?" The dancer looked at her with those strange, crimson eyes.

"Still . . . foggy . . . wha-!"

"Careful!" Lyn cried, lunging to stop her from hitting the deck. She didn't have to move far, however, as the figure coming up behind her had already caught Ninian and set her gently on her feet.

"Perhaps you should lie down." Kent said. The dancer nodded vaguely, and wandered off. Lyn gave Kent a sad smile and turned back to see the water.

"Lady Lyndis, are you okay?" the cavalier asked. The Sacaen tried to perk up.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" Kent frowned.

"Because you don't usually spend so much time doing nothing." Lyn gritted her teeth. Kent knew her too well; whenever she was upset or unhappy, he could sense it. It was very frustrating at times.

"You're angry at yourself because of what happened to Kaira." Kent guessed. "Milady?" The noblewoman's eyes blazed as she fought to keep her temper reigned in. She whirled to face her knight, with his lance slung carefree over his shoulder.

"Kent . . . you don't know, do you? Very few people know the entire story." The cavalier rested his lance on the deck, and turned to face her.

"Milady, if you would allow it, I wish to know everything." Kent knew there was no going back. Judging by the weight Lyndis seemed to be carrying, there was obviously a lot more than Kent knew about.

"Milady Lyndis, if it's not to forward . . . how many people know the whole story?"

"Very few. Myself, Hector, Eliwood, Kaira of course, I suspect Matthew does, and soon you."

Lyndis began to unfold the tale, when Kent stopped her.

"Milady. Might I venture a hypothesis?" Lyn had no idea what Kent had just said. Being brouht up on the plains of Sacae, there had been no need to flaunt the power of the word. Simply speaking, she hadn't been taught what several of the more complicated words mean. Being a noblewoman of Caelin, she had learnt in this particular area in leaps and bounds, but there were still limits.

"Pardon, Kent?"

"Could I share a theory with you, that you are free to disregard at any time?" Lyn figured there was no danger in that.

"Sure." Kent took a breath. This was dangerous ground he was stepping on. Caution would be the best characteristic used in this case.

"My Lady, I believe we have . . shall we say, a Lady in our midst who knows more than she might be choosing to tell us."

Everything about Lyn became the very model of neutrality. "Yes . . ." she said monotonously. Kent continued.

"Well, milady . ." He paused, and sighed. "I'll get straight to the point. I believe Lady Florina is experiencing premonitions that forewarn her of anything profoundly negative concerning this encampment. Thus, in a dream, she would have seen Guy's near-death back in Caelin, Matthew's disappearance, the Lady Tactician's disappearance, even the Lady Tactician's death-"

"She is not dead!" Lyn interrupted, with tears already in her eyes. "And stay away from Florina! She's not having crazy dreams either!" she shouted.

"Milady, with due respect- how do _you_ know if Florina's dreaming or not?"

Silently, Lyndis pushed past the cavalier and stormed away, tears rolling down her face.

X gritted his teeth as he held his wrist, looking at the palm of his hand. It was the area where that strange substance had been ripped out of him, almost killing him. The flesh was red and inflamed, rising up from the flat of his hand as a tender, painful mark.

The assassin was not angry, however. Sure, there was the disbelief at his own idiocy, disbelief at how stupid he had been to touch the dragon girl's hand; but it meant nothing to him.

He felt intrigued.

Intrigue. Yes. That was what he felt, he decided.

_What's amazing is not the substance, nor the way it was harvested, but the fact that there _was_ something to harvest in the first place,_ he thought.

It's incredible. My master- no. My father . . . what he did . . .

_An impossible feat has taken place. But . . . what is this?_

The strangest feeling was rising in X's breast. It was not anger, he had trained himself impeccably not to feel anger. It was not hatred, nor was it sexual lust or love or happiness or anxiety or joy-

Nope. Definitely not joy. Nor was it intrigue. It was almost as if the switchboard of his emotional development was being recalibrated.

The feeling was bloodlust. Sheer, unfiltered bloodlust, primeval in all ways. It grew rapidly, expanding to stain every part of his psyche until it was dripping with the want for gore.

_No! No- I never wanted to be this way! I . . . what's happening to me! Make it stop!_

The tiny voice of his conscience gave way to inaudible weeping as he was swept away in a torrent of bloody wind.

In his fractured mind, a faint squadron of Pegasi appeared.

Florina was again in the dark cavern, with torches adorning the far walls. It was massive, like a mountain had been hollowed out. Pits of lava bubbled all around, and Florina looked around frantically.

"Huey! . . . . Huuueeeyyy! Where are you, Huey? Why did you fly off like that? . . ." she called, her voice bouncing around the structure, creating a suitably 'creepy' effect. "Lady Lyndis?" she called tentatively. "Lady Lyndis?" Florina called, looking around her with frightened eyes. There was no answer. She was alone, inside a giant volcano. She wandered over to a particularly large pool of molten rock, coming as close as the ambient heat would allow her. The light from the inferno was dazzling, and the heat was almost painful. Florina watched in wonderment . . . until she heard footsteps behind her. Spinning around, she clutched her lance to her like a small child clutches his or her favourite toy. (a/n: Yes, I know I use the same beginning description every time.)

Once again, the green-cloaked psycho was following her, his pilfered sword grasped and ready.

For once in her life, Florina faced the man in anger. Her eyes were blazing like the very fire in the pit behind her.

"You killed her!" she shouted furiously. "You killed Kaira!" X licked his lips, his eyes deranged and rolling.

The Pegasus Knight screamed and thrusted her lance at the man. He grabbed the shaft with a free hand and pushed it aside; the Ilian simply brought it around further and laid an eye-watering blow to X's temple.

The assassin was knocked aside, sliding backwards in the thick dust before springing to his feet and dashing towards Florina again.

The small Pegasus Knight aimed the tip carefully for X's heart. He leapt high in the air, his sword whirling like a lethal steel grater. One option was available- Florina took it. She dropped low and rolled to the side, holding her lance close to her body to stop it splintering and snapping from the iron sword X held.

In a flash of light, the man was upon her, like a demon of the night. His head plunged towards hers, snarling like an animal. Florina responded by curtly plunging her fist into his open mouth, where he bit her savagely before moving away.

She looked at her injured hand. The knuckes were bleeding badly, and there were tooth marks and bleeding scratches the length of it.

"Are you some kind of animal!" she shrieked. X licked his lips, drinking in the deep red of the blood.

"You're injured . . ." he called maliciously. "Now, I show you your future!"

X grabbed her lance and pushed it into Florina, forcing her to fall backwards into the burning depths of the abyss.

Once again, the pain skyrocketed to paralysis. Once again, she felt the nothingness creep up her body as the fire consumed it. These feelings were all familiar, and yet they were as new as when she had first experienced them.

It still hurt like heck, though.

Was this all she was going to see in this dream? Why did, every time, the dream only end _after_ she was thrown in the fire? Perhaps next time she should just jump in the fire herself- perhaps it would be faster . . . perhaps . . .

The blurry scope appeared. It was here that Florina had seen the fates of Guy, Matthew and Kaira, and even Lyndis before she had injured her friend. A large flurry of feathers appeared, before it shifted, and Florina gasped. It was a Pegasus Squadron! An entire Pegasus Squadron, flying over the waters! Florina peered eagerly into the bubble, staring at the head rider. It couldn't be . . .

"Sister! Fiora!" she shouted, jubilant. It was her big sister, Fiora! She was coming to them, with an _entire_ squadron from Ilia! The girl marveled. How on earth she managed to get approval, Florina didn't know. Nor did she really care.

"Now, see their deaths!" X's voice screeched. Florina whirled around, but the howling of the wind was too loud.

_Since when has the _wind_ ever been in my dreams?_ she thought, confused.

In the scope, a fluttering green cape shot into view, with an iron sword cleanly beheading the Peg. Rider at the rear of the column. Florina cried aloud, and the Pegasus Knights converged on this assassin with a sword. One by one, they were cut down. Not even their Pegasi were spared. Ruby-stained wings fluttered weakly while the noble creatures tumbled into the ocean, to die on impact or drown pathetically.

They didn't have to mourn much. The mangled bodies of their riders fell down to meet them, reunited in death and water.

Florina tried to look away, sobbing, but she could swear the scene, and the death, was being played out in her very eyes. It felt like her heart was collapsing. It hurt . . .

Fiora shot away like a rocket, while the psychotic assassin slipped almost gracefully into the water and began to swim for a nearby island.

The dream ended.

Florina woke up screaming. She screamed again, this time not stopping. Her eyes showed the stark horror she had been subject to-

She paused. Her hand hurt. Gently, she lifted the covers and exposed her hand. The flesh over her knuckles was scabbed, as though it had closed up recently. There were long scabs along her hand, too. The bites from X were real . . .

Florina fainted as the door to her room burst open.

"Land hoooooooooooooooo!" came the shout from the crow's nest. "Land hooooooo!" Fargus peered up at Flaefir's lithe form, looking like a long drinking straw inside a wooden cup.

"Arrr, Flaefir! Be it the Dread Isle?" the captain roared. The Swordmaster gazed intently at the hump of green, growing larger by the second.

"It's a little hard to tell, Captain Fargus. Are we off course? You do know the Western Isles are nearby!" Fargus shook his bushy head.

"Nay! We be dead on target!" Flaefir watched the land again.

"In that case, I think we're there! We've reached the Dread Isle!" Hector slapped the berserker on the back.

"Well, old man, you stayed true to your word. Thank you for everything." he quipped, grinning. The berserker took a look of mock anger.

"Old man? I could run circles around you, whelp!" _And_ my axe is bigger than your's!" Hector reddened as Eliwood laughed.

"He's right there, Hector!" The Ostian rounded on his friend.

"Geez Eliwood! You're supposed to be defending me!" Hector said, pretending to pout. The red-haired youth laughed again.

"Yeah, fair enough. Come on, tiny axe. We need to tell people to pack." Eliwood turned and started walking away, listening intently for Hector's footsteps. The big Lord was still standing there with his mouth agape.

"Tiny axe! Eliwood, get over here!" The Pheraen started running.

"Florina? What's the matter?" Lyn asked, standing in the doorway framed with light. "I heard screaming. Did you have a bad dream?" Florina nodded meekly, the tears in her eyes still visible. Lyn smiled gently and walked over to the bed. Carefully, she sat down, and Florina allowed her to hold her in her arms.

"Can you tell me about the dream?" she crooned. Florina pushed away from her a little, the fear in her eyes bright.

"Please, Lyn . . . don't make me tell you about it . . . don't make me r-relive it . . ." she whispered shakingly. Lyn frowned. Surely the dream wasn't that bad.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Florina looked up at her again, and quivered deep down.

"All . . all right." she said. "But Lyn . . . I mean L-Lady Lyndis! Lady Lyndis . . . promise me you won't make me say anything about it ever a-again." The Sacaen nodded understandingly.

"It's alright, Florina. I'm here now." she replied. "Now tell me about the nightmare you had." Lyn always liked to hear about Florina's nightmares. For some reason, the girl had the most vivid nightmares, and Lyn would try and picture them. It was almost fun, if it wasn't for the fact that it stopped her good friend from sleeping.

"Well . . ." she began.

(a/n: Time skip- makes it easier for me to tell the story.)

"Really?" said Lyn, frowning. "And how do you know all this?" Florina felt silly saying it, but it was the truth.

"Because, m-my dreams, they really happen." she said hopelessly. "I saw that boy, um . . . he got stabbed, right here." Florins pointed to her chest, just above the heart. "A-And Matthew, he's drugged. He's hurt, too. Somewhere in the ship. And I saw you slash Kaira . . . I-I mean, the Lady Tactician. And everything . . . I see it in my dream." Lyn sat away from the shy Ilian, shocked to her core. Kent was right. Kent had seen this, somehow. The Sacaen gritted her teeth a little. The cavalier was one of her best friends, trusted associates, and fearsome fighters she knew. But he was _always right_. It made it frustrating at times.

"There's only one person I could think of that could do anything about your dreams, Florina." Lyn stated finally. The small girl struggled to wipe traces of her tears away. _Be brave, Florina_, she told herself. _Chin up. Let's not have Lyn see you crying_.

"C'mon." Lyn said gently, jerking her head towards the door. "Let's take you to see someone." Florina pulled the sheets closer to her chin.

"Can . . . can I get dressed?" she asked meekly. Lyn nodded and got up to leave.

"I'll be just outside." Lyndis said as she pulled the door shut with a click.

Eliwood walked down the ramp of the ship. They had landed. He paused, and took his first step onto the isle of Valor. The ground was damp and soft under his feet, covered with moss.

"Father . . ." he whispered. "I'll find you." Hector slapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on, Eliwood! Let's go get your dad!" he said, running onto the woodland floor.

"Hector!" the Pheraen shouted. "We need to make sure everyone is off the ship!" Hector turned and looked at the people leading horses and lugging . . um, luggage, down the ramps. The Ostian walked back disappointedly, watching the stream of people come off the boat.

Eliwood was already pushing his way back through the crowds. It was a little curious that she come under _his_ rule, but if it was so, he didn't want to argue. He just needed to talk with her. Finally, he saw the maiden, chatting contentedly with a purple-headed mage.

"Miss Priscilla." Eliwood called. Erk looked somewhat grumpy at having his conversation interrupted, but he did not argue. Somehow Erk thought that since Priscilla was under his (Eliwood's) rule, than Erk should be under his rule. It didn't make much sense to Eliwood, but he didn't want to pry.

"Miss Priscilla." Eliwood said finally, having caught up with them at the edge of the ship. "How's Lady K- um, how is the health of the Lady Tactician?" Priscilla gave the cabin a glance.

"My Lord, we're at a bit of a crossroads. She was making such a comeback, too . . ." Eliwood found himself breathless, as though his chest was being constricted. "And?" he asked, scared of the outcome.

"Well, my Lord . . . she can't be moved." Priscilla said awkwardly. Eliwood wasn't satisfied. If his friend was dying, he wanted to _know_!

"Priscilla, tell me! How is she!" he shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders. Erk reached for his tome, danger in his eyes. Priscilla didn't respond to the violent behaviour. Instead, the troubadour looked away.

"I'm sorry, my Lord Eliwood. We lost her during the night."

Eliwood let go of her and fell back against the railing. His vision swam. The Pheraen first thought it was due to shock, but the warmth on his face told him it was from tears. The tactician had died. It was final, absolute. Until now, there had always been hope. At least, always a fool's hope. Now even that tiny candle had been doused.

"She died peacefully, feeling no pain." Priscilla explained, well aware of the tears spilling from her eyes.

"I know you miss her, Lord Eliwood. We all do. She kept us alive more times than we can count." Erk said. His eyes bore no tears, preferring to 'bottle up' the sorrow within.

"Did . . . did she say . . . anything?" he choked. "Anything about the assassin? X?" Priscilla shook her head.

"My Lord, she said very few things before she died. At the end, she looked at me and told me 'Forgive her, Priscilla. Forgive Lyndis- and tell her I hold no blame.' I don't know what it means." she explained, feeling the well of emotions seep up and overflow.

Hector trotted up on deck, over towards the forlorn red-heads.

"Hey," he said, suddenly concerned. "What's wrong, Eliwood? And, um . . . who are you?" He directed that last comment at Priscilla, who was sitting rather helplessly on the oak wood of the deck, holding her face in her hands.

"Her name is Lady Priscilla." Erk informed the Ostian pompously. "We have just been informed that Tactician Kaira has . . ." he choked on the words. The mage had always prided himself on controlling his emotions, but grief made his words thick. "Lady Kaira has passed away." he managed, turning away. The grief would have struck Hector like a hammer. Actually, it made a faint whizzing sound as it flew over his head.

"What are you talking about?" he asked stupidly. "No way. She's not dead. Kaira isn't dead; she can't be." Priscilla gave him a venomous look- prolonging accpetance made it more painful. Hector felt lost.

"So . . . she's really gone?" The troubadour was angry. "Yes, you oaf!" she snarled, drawing a surprised glance from Erk. "Yes! Kaira's dead!" she shouted, loud enough for the entire ship to hear him. A gasp and various mutters came from the crowd beneath; Erk rolled his eyes. It was getting a little repetitive.

Lyn looked up at the two Lords and Priscilla with something akin to hatred in her eyes. It had to be a lie. Kaira was recovering, Lyn could have sworn it! Someone must have done something to screw it up!

Furious and hurt, the Sacaen stormed off into the misty forest.

"Yarr, Eliwood? You got everyone?" Fargus roared, after making sure the boat was empty. The Lord's counted their individual troops; the troops counted themselves and their friends. After reminding themselves of Kaira's death, two names popped up.

"Lady Lyndis is missing, sir." Kent called, after brutally 'quieting' a no-doubt crude reply from Sain. (A sharp, downward jab with a gauntleted fist.)

"And Matthew isn't here either." Hector called. Fargus turned around.

"Oi! Flaefir!" he called. The Swordmaster bounded up.

"Yes cap'n?" he asked. The berserker looked him in the eye and gave him explicit instructions.

"Go up on deck. Take two men with you. Sweep as far as you can, as fast as you can, as deep as you can. Find a man in a red cloak and a girl with long green hair. If you can, find a man in a green cloak and put him out of his-" the captain swore viciously. "-misery. You kill the man in the _green_ cloak on sight, understood?" The Swordmaster nodded, grinning. He beckoned to several of his friends, almost a dozen of whom trotted on board without hesitation. Florina noticed the wiry archer that had tried to shoot her down back in Badon was among them. The voyage had only been four days long, only four days since the game at the port of Badon . . .

_Is that all it's been?_ Florina marveled. _Only four days?_ Her mind drifted back over the past day . . . and the dream. Instinctively, Florina looked to the skies. For a brief second, she thought she could hear the beat of a hundred feathery wings. Then she shook her head and watched as the rows of armour-clad people stood to attention. Kent stood tall, and surprisingly, so did Sain. Florina tried to follow their example, but she just couldn't do it. One look at the coffin, covered in a lavender sheet, sent the poor girl into tears. Getting over the death had been hard. It had been extremely hard.

Now came the worst moment. Saying goodbye.

Florina sniffed, and hugged herself. Somehow, it didn't seem right, burying the tactician on a misty island out in the middle of nowhere. She needed to be buried in Sacae. She needed to be buried in the oceans of grass, from whence she had sprung.

The Ilian felt a hand pat her on the back. Florina turned around and saw the man she had found when her uniform shrank. The man that was wounded. He was, nevertheless, a man, and so she shrank back.

"Sorry." he said. "I didn't know her very well. She saved my life, back in Laus. That's all I need to know. I still miss her, though." The girl let out a sob, and hated herself for it.

"She was one of your good friends, wasn't she?" Guy asked, trying to be tactful. Florina nodded, her eyes red with tears.

"I-It's not . . fair . . ." she whispered. The swordsman tilted his head. "How?" he asked slowly. The girl watched his with large, bue eyes.

"Sh-sh-sh-she shouldn't be buried here . . ." she squeaked. "Back home . . back in S-Sacae . . . it's where we found her. Where she b-belongs." Guy frowned at her word choice.

"Found?"

"I only kn-know what Lyn told me . . . sh-she found her unconscious on the p-plains . ." Guy smiled gently, as the coffin was lowered into it's hole and Lucius said some holy rites, joined by a sobbing Serra.

"Everything will be fine eventually." Guy said, embracing Florina. The Pegasus Knight went to pull back, but that inexpressible charm she felt when she met him kept her enraptured. So, she held on, drawing comfort from his hug as the body of her friend was lost beneath shovelful's of dirt.

Flaefir darted about the ship, even going down to the bilges, where it was all water and pillars of wood. He glanced briefly down at the water, where he thought he saw something shimmer metallically. He looked up at the darkness. Nothing. He turned and shut the door-

Not realizing that he had gazed directly at the beam Matthew lay drugged on. In fact, the gel's hold on him was weakening, and it was only a matter of time before he broke free.

In the Captain's bunk, he grinned and held a glass of ale up in the air; a toast, on which the other eleven of his crewmates joined in, smiling wickedly. It was the perfect time to have executed their plan, during this unexpected funeral for one of the guests.

Each raised their goblet, and a dozen low voices sealed their fates.

"To mutiny!"

Once again, a cliffhanger. Sorry to all my loyal fans about Kaira's death- but hey, it was her time to go. I know that's no excuse, but . . . reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to the _astounding_ amount of support and reviews rubs hands evilly for Chapter 7! Hopefully, I can get the same or more evil chuckle for this chapter. Sorry it was so short too- I was up late, and I finally got over this weird funk where I had no consecutive thoughts for about two weeks. Probably due to my body temp. of 39.5 Celsius.

Still, read and review. And, as an author, my last goodbye's to Kaira.

So long, my dear. You did well, and had a full life. Seeya.

P.S No, I will not be getting a new female tactician. But my male one (Erisal) will be taking a more active role in OTHER fanfics.

A reminder to read and review.


	9. Chapter IX: Intervention

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter:

After the author finally shut Serra up-

Serra: You were so mean! And you still are mean to me, Tay-

IceBlade28: You never can give me a rest, can you? Look! There's Erk!

Serra: Ooh! Erky! runs off

Right- after the author finally got rid of Serra, (in the previous chapter), the fic began. Priscilla was working hard on saving the tactician, who had received mortal wounds and was now entirely in the hands of the healer and Elimine. Kent accused, with tact, Florina of knowing more about X than she was telling. Which was right, of course. The cavalier made the mistake of saying that Lady Kaira, tactician, was dead- a fact which immediately hurt Lyndis and sent her off in tears. X's psyche was somehow tampered with after the extraction of the mystery substance (the nature of which the author will not disclose), and he became blood-crazed and obsessed with death. Florina had another dream/premonition, in which she entered into combat for the first time, sustaining minor wounds from X. The premonition continued with a glimpse of Fiora and her Pegasus Squadron, until X made mincemeat of the entire lot. Florina woke up screaming, as usual, and noticed that the wounds from her fight with X were not only real, but aged. She fainted as Lyn entered the room. Flaefir was out in the crow's nest when they made landfall on the Dread Isle, and the extent of Tactician Kaira's condition was revealed. She had died during the night, in her sleep. The pirates and the army gave her a solemn funeral as she was buried on Valor, with Lyn not attending the funeral- she had stormed off into the woods to be alone. On board the _Davros_, Flaefir and a dozen of his closest friends raised their goblets to mutiny.

And now, on with the fic.

Serra: I searched all over the place and couldn't find him! You lied!

IceBlade28: No, I just . . . um . . . eh . . . o0;;

Serra: You did lie! What do you have to say for yourself!

IceBlade28: Nothing in particular.

Serra: How dare-

**Chapter IX: Intervention**

X looked at his hands, the iron sword he had pilfered laying on the rock by his side. His palms were stained with blood. The blood of humans, and the blood of Pegasi. Worse, it was the blood of women and girls; some of them barely old enough to call themselves teenagers. And he had mercilessly slaughtered them all. Their bodies were to be buried in watery graves. Untimely ends for all.

It wasn't like he _wanted_ to kill them. Nor did he have to; and he certainly didn't enjoy it. His conscience, the one resounding voice that gave him compassion, mercy, kindness, it was as though it had been rewired and reversed. But the red mists of bloodlust no longer clouded his vision. Now, he only wished for it to stop. The guilt, the pain, it was eating away at him from the inside, like a fire only he could see or feel.

Still, he pondered the question 'Why?'. Why did he do it? Could he have been under some kind of enchantment? Some kind of spell? When the dragon, the ice dragon masquerading as a human, when he touched her- something had happened. Something bad. Maybe it was the silvery stuff; the substance that seemed light as air, with gold and silver strands woven into the translucent stream. Losing that must have set something off.

X immediately broke away from that line of thinking. Having something 'set off' meant the killing of the girls had been voluntary, willingly. He would _not_ have been so wasteful and ignorant of life. Never would he have knowingly wreaked the butchery that had been incurred on them.

Still, the assassin took comfort in the escape of the captain of the Pegasus Squadron. It meant that one person had survived him- it had not been genocide.

X's head flicked up from his perch on the cliff. The Dragon's Gate was nearby, and he needed to be there. A rival assassin was there, taking orders from a strange man with glowing, golden eyes. X knew this, and slipped into the misty foliage. If this assassin, vying for the title of the Angel of Death, was there, then he would need to be 'put away'. X paused. Jaffar had already taken to calling himself the Angel of Death. It would be a shame to invoke the second part of the name.

The green-cloaked spy dashed towards a large building in the distance. Intervention would be needed.

Lyn ran as far as her legs could carry her; not very far, all things considering. The Sacaen was shaking, and her breath came out crystallised in the cold fog. Tears blurred her vision, and leafy branches snatched at her as she ran, sobs racking her body. Her arms pushed away shrubs, and tore away creepers that wanted to stick to her tight Lorcan clothing. Vines attempted to wrap around her feet and ankles, but she simply powered through them, as the fog grew thicker and her grief drained valuable energy. Her running slowed to stumbling, and eventually she tripped over a mossy rock and lay on the stiff grass, crying hard.

Nobody understood what it meant. No-one had known Kaira for as long, nor as well as she did. Wasn't it her, Lyndis, that found her unconscious? It had been Lyn's kind heart that took the girl into her ger and fed her, when food was scarce enough for one. Lyn had been with the tactician for many long days, and they had told each other many secrets. It was her other self that had been lowered into the grave, covered in a lavender sheet for respect. The colour of the cloak matched Kaira's hair colour exactly, and Lyn wept harder for it.

It had been Kaira that had ceased the pain of loneliness on the plains. Lyn had been alone for so long, and this extraordinary girl had appeared, unconscious in the ocean of grass, and changed her life. Kaira gave her a family; she gave her the throne of Caelin and her Grandfather. Lyn owed the Tactician everything, and she didn't know a thing about Kaira's past.

That made saying goodbye completely impossible.

"No . . ." she wept, her voice thick. "She was coming back . . . I know it . . ." Lyn sensed a figure kneeling at her side, and she felt a hand on hers, drawing her up.

The Crimson Shield held his employer close, placing her head on his shoulder.

"I know things have been hard, for a long time." Kent said, holding her close. "You have shed many tears . . . and I should have been here to dry them. But I never did. My attempts to keep things professional have failed . . . and I cannot see a woman such as you cry, Lady Lyndis."

"Kent . . ." the swordswoman said breathlessly. It didn't matter to her that her knight was in a severe breach of protocol by confessing his feelings; how long could a man be around a beautiful woman and not be attracted to her? Even when he should be protecting her? Right now, Lyn just wanted to be hugged, to be comforted, and to be wanted.

"We should return to the army. Our quest is nearly over; Lord Eliwood's father is located on this island. Once we find him, it's back to Caelin for us."

Lyn nodded, holding Kent's hand as he led her over a large clump of rocks, slippery with moss and dew.

"We _will_ find Eliwood's father." she said resolutely. "Not only for Eliwood's sake . . . but because I will not let this quest, for which Kaira died, go unfinished."

"And well spoken indeed, milady!" Kent said in admiration, before breaking into a swift jog. It would not do to have the noblewoman of Caelin absent at such a crucial point in time. Lyn kept up with the red-armoured cavalier, her Sacaen skills and agility shining through on the treacherous path. Soon they were at the camp, located near the grave.

"Right . . . so, ye'll be setting off for this 'Dragon's Gate' place now, am I right?" asked the pirate captain. Eliwood nodded.

"We know for a fact-" Mentally he thanked the Ostian spy, Leila, for the invaluable knowledge she had contributed. "-that the Dragon's Gate is located at the centre of the island. All we have to do is head inwards, rescue my father, and come back. Simple." he finished. Fargus nodded, waving a hand at a nearby corsair.

"Oy! Dart- over here!" he growled. He turned back to the two Lord's, who was quickly joined by an out-of-breath Lyn.

"What did I miss?" she asked, panting. Fargus gave her a queer look, but said nothing.

"I've got meself a crazy pirate who wants to go sightseeing. This here's Dart." he said, exposing the brawny pirate. "His only redeeming feature is his sturdiness. Maybe that'll come in handy." he said. The pirate seemed almost embarrassed.

"Aw, c'mon, Cap'n! You know me better than that!" he complained. Eliwood nodded, smiling.

"We'd be happy to have all the help we can get. No doubt we will have to face the Black Fang, and possibly Lord Darin and this . . Ephidel." he finished. Fargus nodded, and turned back to the _Davros_-

It was a shiplength out into the ocean. Fargus was confused, until he figured out what was going on. Then he was nearly apoplectic with fury.

"'Tis mutiny!" he bellowed. "Dart- the dinghy. Where is it!" The pirate rushed to the beach, grabbing a rope in the water and heaving on it. The large rowing boat that had been used to ferry people over in drifted to shore. The berserker leapt in, making the boat shake. The pirate Dart wasn't close behind.

"I'll kill that blasted Flaefir!" Dart said, snatching at the oars. "Cap'n, I always knew he was dirty. I knew he'd backstab you as soon as look at you." The captain was already rowing when a gauntleted hand grabbed the stern of the boat.

It was Hector. The Ostian had waded out to about hip-deep in water, and was not letting them go without some words of advice.

"Listen- it's a Swordmaster on board your ship, not some little Pegasus Knight that you can take out in one hit. You'll need help. Matthew, my spy and . . . well, thief, is somewhere on board. Find him- he'll help you." Hector said. The berserker nodded.

"Arrr. If he's on board, we'll find the whelp and get him to help us." he said halfheartedly, before pushing Hector away and rowing furiously, muscles bulging out on his arms. The boat shot away like an arrow, heading for the much larger vessel in the distance.

Lyn watched the vessel go, before a terrible thought struck her.

"Ninian! She was still in her room! Did she get off the boat?" Hector slapped his forehead. "Oh man . . ." Eliwood placed a calming hand on the Sacaen's shoulder.

"It's okay, Lyndis. She's over by Florina and Guy. I made sure she got off the boat." he said reassuringly. Then his face grew stern.

"But enough stalling. My father is on this island; we need to get to the Dragon's Gate!" Hector nodded hard, and the three Lord's strode ahead, their figures framed by the murky fog-

As a man on a horse sped up to them and grabbed Lyn by her throat, maneuvering a few feet away and placing his sword point at her heart.

"Lyn!" Eliwood shouted, lunging for his Rapier. Hector had his trusted Wolf Beil in his hands already, and was advancing with an ugly look on his face.

"If you value both your lives and the life of this girl, you will not take another step." the horseman intoned. "You will leave this island immediately." Lyn twisted around, wincing at the cracks from her neck as she peered at the identity of her assailant.

"You're Sacaen!" she gasped, the words grating in her mouth. "A person of the plains . . . like me." The man's face was shrouded in fog, and the swordpoint wavered. Finally, he tossed her roughly forward and trotted backwards a few steps.

"Taking hostages during a battle, especially women, is shameful. I will not dirty my soul by dishonouring the code of combat. Instead, I will let you die with a sword in your hands." he explained, brandishing his curved sword. Lyn rubbed her throat painfully, trying to recover her voice.

"Who are you?" she managed finally. The man nudged his horse out of the fog, revealing his face. It was cold, and his features could have been carved in stone. Dark eyes, a faded blue headband typical of a man of Sacae, and a rough beard. The man was a Nomad Trooper, and judging by the weaponry that adorned his horse and himself, was a man who should not be underestimated.

"I am Uhai. The Soaring Hawk." he said. "You will not pass here. Leave now, and you leave with your lives intact." he said, gripping his scimitar tight.

Eliwood was thinking quickly. If Lyndis and this man shared a bond, if he was merciful enough to hold the unwritten conduct of combat true, then perhaps they could get a little information.

"Do you know of a man named Nergal? He is in the Black Fang." Eliwood asked hesitantly. Uhai's eyes flickered.

"He came, and the Black Fang . . . changed. It became dishonourable, taking any target for a fee. The Black Fang abused it's power, and Nergal was the gleeful puppetmaster behind it all. You know nothing of his terrible might. Nothing of Nergal's power, and so you hope to oppose him. You are insects railing against the heavens." he said. His voice had almost been wistful at the start, but changed until it was angry and strong.

"Then you know of the change in the Black Fang! Talk to us, we can help you!" Lyn pleaded. Uhai shook his head hard.

"Enough talking! I grow tired of banter. Rest assured, if necessary, I will meet every last one of you in combat, and to a man, you will all die!" he snarled, flashing his scimitar at the curling tendrils of fog. He whipped the reigns of his horse, and turned around briefly.

"But be of good cheer! In dying, you will be spared the calamity that is to come!" he called, riding into the mist.

Eliwood turned to the encampment, his face surprisingly hard and brutal.

"Everyone fit for combat, attend me! We will defeat the Black Fang and find my father! Rally to me!" he bellowed, holding his Rapier high in the air. Hector placed a restricting arm on the redhead's chest.

"Eliwood, we have no idea about these woods. They're as thick as anything, and who knows how many of the enemy are out there?" he said, looking into Eliwood's eyes. The boy was almost pleading, and Hector responded quietly.

"Now isn't the time to throw caution to the winds. I know what you're thinking about Marquess Pherae- I'm asking you to be patient. Just a little longer." Eliwood nodded, looking away to the distance.

" . . . You don't know how hard it is for me to do as you ask, Hector. I will wait. But not long." he said firmly, wiping away any betraying traces of tears. "I will not wait long."

Ephidel whipped his head up. _Someone's there_, he thought. No . . . he didn't 'think' it, per say. It was one of the strange abilities of those who had been created; 'morphs', Lord Nergal called them. His father, Lord Nergal. He 'felt' that somebody was nearby. An assassin, under the employ of the Black Fang.

"Jaffar." he called into the darkness. The morph waited patiently, knowing his command had not gone unheeded. His gleaming, golden eyes searched the darkness diligently, until he spotted a piece of shadow that was not as right as it should be.

"Ah, Jaffar. The Angel of Death. I have an assignment for you." he said, watching the odd part of darkness.

"What are my orders?" said a low voice, directly behind him. Ephidel sighed, not flinching or in the least bit surprised.

"Truly you are the Angel of Death, the heart of darkness. There is an infestation of mice on this island; our . . . _puppet_, Marquess Laus, will take care of them. While he's playing exterminator, we will sacrifice Marquess Pherae, acquire the quintessence necessary and use the girl to perform the ceremony." Jaffar nodded, his blood-red eyes flicking back and forth.

The out-of-place shadow disappeared down a side corridor, and Ephidel sighed.

"I had such high hopes for you . . . Jaffar, if you would please follow me?" he asked. The silent assassin nodded, and the morph whirled his cloak. Two more members of the Black Fang blended skillfully into the blackness.

Leila rushed down a corridor, pausing on the massive stone steps of the Dragon's Gate. The stone steps were almost as wide as a river, and suspended above a dark abyss. The information had been juicy, and almost impossible to believe. That is, it would have been unbelievable if she hadn't posed as a member of the Black Fang for several months and been subject to some of the highest secrets in the organisation.

"Incredible . . ." she whispered. Matthew wouldn't believe . . . well, he might believe the truth. What he wouldn't believe, however, is that she had strong feelings for him. The reason was simple: spies with emotional attachments place themselves and the objective in unnecessary risks. Still, Leila couldn't help but wonder if he was attracted to her . . . he had invited her to meet his family . . . it was probably something innocent.

She snorted. Since when had Matthew been innocent?

Leila continued down the steps when an eerie voice echoed around her.

"A little mouse, trying to escape her tunnel. It won't work." Leila stiffened at the sound of a Warp spell behind her. She turned around, biting her lip.

"Ephidel- the sentries . . ." she said weakly. "I was just . . going to check on . . ." The golden-eyed creature shook his head.

"Such a pity . . . you were doing so well, too. It's a little hard to believe . . ." he sighed. Then his eyes grew hard and callous.

"You thought you were undetected, didn't you? You truly thought . . . you filthy Ostian spy." Leila gripped her dagger tightly, backing down the stairs. Ephidel grinned, though the smile was tight-lipped and lacked heart.

"Well, at least it will be quick." Ephidel finished. Leila's eyes widened- the gauntlet had been thrown down. The Ostian turned to run, but only took a few steps before skidding to a halt on the green stone stairs.

Jaffar had appeared from nowhere, his twin Killing Edges grasped and held at the ready. Almost mercifully, he paused.

"Ephidel. This is not an assassination, it is an execution; the work of The Hurricane. It is not my business to kill this girl." The meddlesome morph was angry, and yet the inhuman coldness, the lack of emotion was what shone through the most.

"You will kill Leila because I have ordered you to, Jaffar. Now exterminate her." he proclaimed boldly. Leila's green eyes betrayed no fear: just peace. The Angel of Death was indifferent.

"Die." he said slowly, twirling his daggers expertly. The black-cloaked assassin leapt high in the air, spinning around to give the daggers more power in the killing thrust . . .

When a man in a green cloak shot out of the darkness, the wind of his leap ruffling Leila's pink hair. The assassin met Jaffar in mid-air and parried the blow with an Iron sword. He also gave the Angel of Death a kick to the chest, pushing him backwards down the stairs. It did not harm Jaffar at all, that much was clear; but it gave the man in green time to think, and time to befriend the spy.

X landed in front of Leila, who was completely confused.

"Ostian spy. Leila. You're time is not yet. Come with me, or perish!" X cried, charging down the stone stairs. Leila followed the strange man, drawing an ornamental yet deadly Silver sword. Jaffar was waiting for them further down the stairs.

"I know of you . . ." he whispered incredulously. X raised his sword defensively, his eyes wary.

"You will not get to Leila alive." he said, his luminous blue eyes a stark contrast to Jaffar's cold, scarlet eyes. The black assassin watched him curiously, his Killing Edges slack in his hand.

"You mean to protect this traitor?" he asked, the tips of his daggers sliding upward. X's eyes were harder than the stone steps he was perched on, as he maneuvered Leila behind him.

"With my life." he growled. Leila peered over his shoulder, and the hair on the back of her neck rose. Someone was Warping in. It could only be one person . . .

"Look out!" she screamed.

Ephidel appeared from the depths of a swirling, coal-black cloak. His golden eyes gleamed maliciously as he looked X up and down.

"So . . ." he said triumphantly. "The mistake has shown his-" X lunged for the morph, a snarl on his face. The servant of Nergal was quick to respond, whirling his hands around in front of him, weaving a trail of crackling blue lines through the air . . .

The blue lines solidified and became a sizzling fireball, which knifed through the air towards the assassin in green. X watched the fireball shoot closer, unable to do anything. Already he was chiding himself for the mistake he had made, bracing for the pain. The Elfire spell struck him high on the right shoulder, reversing his direction and burning the flesh, probably permanently.

X screamed as he flew backwards, and collided with a stone wall. He landed hard and slumped, his vision swimming.

_Get up!_ he shouted at himself. _Get up! Defeat Jaffar- save Leila!_

I can't . . . it's . . . can't see . . . what . . .?

_Do not give in. To give in results in both death to you and death to her._

Then I guess . . . Ephidel has two graves to . . dig . . .

X's eyes fluttered as unconsciousness set in. Leila turned from the slumped ally to run for her life-

And she felt the sharp stab of a dagger plunging between her shoulder blades. The impact knocked her forward, onto her knees, struggling for breath.

"M-Matthew . . ." she gasped, before collapsing onto the green stone floor. Ephidel walked over to Jaffar, who was standing over the corpse of Leila and cleaning his dagger on a red cloth.

"Impressive work . . . truly you are the Angel of Death." Jaffar gave a brief nod of satisfaction before walking through a door to the side and being lost to sight. Ephidel smiled at the still body of Leila.

"I think I shall leave you in the forest," he mused. "For the Ostian and his friends to find. That way, they can know who they are dealing with."

Ephidel placed a hand on the small of Leila's back, and they both vanished in a flash of magic.

Dart flopped, ungracefully, into the brackish and dirty waters of the bilges. He surfaced, spluttering and wiping his eyes feverishly, attempting to get the crusty salt out. His berserker captain wasn't far behind him, pushing his axe through the hole before himself. The large weapon, inscribed with runes known to empower the wielder, made a dull clunk as it struck the wooden bottom, though it was thankfully muted by the water.

Fargus shook his head, squeezing out his bandanna and running a hand through his coarse beard.

"So, Dart. Ye be ready to take our ship back, mate?" The pirate in question grinned, unsheathing his twin axes in one swift movement.

"Cap'n, I've been waiting to clobber Flaefir for a long time- and now I get me chance! Of course I'm ready to take the ship back!" Fargus laughed aloud, before silencing himself.

"Good. Now get climbing, mate. They might've heard that, and I ain't gonna have that writer-authorized bleeper initiated archer play shooting ducks with us." he snarled, leaping to grab a handhold on the wet wood. Dart watched his captain climb for a second, before wading up to the wall and starting to ascend.

"Hold up a second, Dart." Fargus called down. "Stay there a second, and be ready. Toss me your axes." The pirate wiped his confusion away with difficulty as he took a longing look at his weapons and hurled them up, hilt first, to the captain's ledge. Fargus caught them deftly, placing one in his mouth and the other in the strap across his back. Dart was leaning back from the wood, mystified. What was the captain doing?

The berserker glanced up briefly, to get his bearings right. Then, he leapt high into the air, wrapping his fingers around the solid oak beam above him. He exhaled awkwardly, and pulled himself up, flopping over the beam. Fargus glanced along the wood, and saw the slumbering form of a red-cloaked man, lying precariously on the carved girder. He grinned, albeit painfully, as holding himself up by his stomach took a bit out of him. Quickly, he removed the axe from his back and spat the other axe onto his hand, inching along the wood until his hairy chest was almost touching the man's head. The berserker stretched his arm, holding the axe at the wood just short of the man's feet. With his free hand, he placed the blade against the wood above Matthew's head.

"Aw, crud." Dart mumbled, realizing the captain's plan. After all, Fargus had done it to him on the occasion when he had slept in, just not in the same fashion. Besides, there wasn't a lot of room to manouvere down there, and that was a mighty big piece of wood about to come crashing down.

Fargus raised the axes slowly, intent on complete precision in his strikes. If he was off by a hair, he could cut off the thief's feet or give him an early haircut. The axes plunged down, and the sound of splintering and snapping wood resounded through the bilge's. Ostian and cut wood came tumbling down, plunging to meet the brackish waters. Dart's eyes widened, and he tried to run through the water, eventually diving in a desperate attempt to get out of the way.

The oak splashed into the bilge water with a thunderous crash, and the spy got a thorough soaking, bouncing off the wood and sinking down through the water.

Matthew's eyes sprung open, and he opened his mouth to shout something, only to have it filled with salty, murky water. A pair of brawny arms cut through the water, encircling him and dragging him upwards. With a 'whoosh' sound, the water drained from around him, and Matthew stood up, spitting and gagging as he strove to remove the horrible salty taste that covered his tongue.

"Mate, you okay?" Dart asked, beckoning to Fargus to toss his axes down. Matthew pretended to continue coughing, fumbling under his wet cloak for his dagger. The pirate caught the falling axes and placed them in his special sheathes across his back.

Matthew was almost livid. _Where on earth is my dagger!_ he thought wildly, before locating the tiny stiletto he carried for emergencies, wrapped carefully and hidden next to his floating ribs.

"Hey, we need you. Pull yourself together, before we wind up back in Badon." Dart complained, grabbing the wet thief around the waist and starting to climb. Matthew coughed, and tried to look up, keep his breath, and flip his wet red cape off his face all at once.

"Back in Badon?" he rasped. "Who are you? And how long have I been out?" he demanded, before being tossed unceremoniously on the top of the deck, outside the doors leading to the cabins. Fargus was waiting at the top, holding his enchanted Killer Axe in two hands and smiling evilly.

"You've been missing about three days. You under that Hector's rule, then?" Matthew nodded mutely. "The assassin." Matthew said suddenly. "The man in the green cloak. He put this . . . I don't know what it is, but it forced me asleep. Like an enchanted sleep, but it was medicinal. And really strong." Dart put in his opinion, attempting to shed light on the subject.

"I've heard of this stuff. It's a really rare gel; healers refer to it as anesthesia, but if you mix some crushed seaweed into it, it becomes this weird stuff called a tranquilizer. Don't ask."

"An's Cap'n, why'd you cut the whole piece of wood? Couldn't you've just dumped him in the water?" Fargus laughed.

"Dart, ye imbecile! I gave 'im somethin' to land on while 'e fell!" Dart nodded, while Matthew mind was racing, trying desperately to process the avalanche of new information. He looked up, his face betraying anxiety.

"How's Florina? Is she recovering from the trauma? The arrow, from the archer in Badon . . . that would have shocked her. How are people doing? And where is everyone?" Fargus watched the door out of the corner of his eye, wary of any sounds or movement that might come from that direction.

"You, boy. This assassin, the one that's been stalking us, he's more dangerous than we thought, says I. He kidnapped you, and he drugged Lyn. The girl attacked her friend, what's-her-name, the one we met in Badon-"

"Kaira!" Matthew exclaimed, shocked. "No. It's impossible." Fargus looked sorrowful at having to tell the spy. He'd have to go through everything, by himself too.

"She was brought up 'n deck by this man, who calls himself 'X', during the battle when the Black Fang invaded me waters and boarded me ship. She was wounded bad, from where Lyn had done it. Then he stabbed her, right in the heart." Matthew's legs gave out, and he sat down with a dull thump. Dart winced at the loud noise, tensing up for a scuffle.

"The gal was makin' a full recovery, too . . . never quite figgered how, when we lost her. During the night, while she slept. We buried 'er on the Dread Isle, where your friends be." The thief was disappointed. Not grieved; spies had no use for emotions like grief or love. He was disappointed: Kaira was one of the few people he knew with equal or even superior intellect, and she _used_ it. She was cunning, clever, and witty. And now she was gone.

"How . . . how long?" he asked hoarsely.

"Last night. An' there was a mutiny. We're about a league from the isle of Valor, with a scummy Swordmaster named Flaefir at the head of it all. I'll keelhaul that traitorous-" Fargus shouted, before being restrained by Dart.

"Cap'n, there was a sound! Outside- I think someone knows we're here!" Dart said, anxious. The berserker responded by smashing down the door in one elephantine blow, knocking the wooden door out into the corridor with a loud crash. Matthew just caught sight of a sentry rounding the corner, but his shouts to Flaefir were all the evidence Fargus, Dart and Matthew needed.

"Well, thanks to a move like _that_, if they didn't know before, we're here." the thief muttered. "They know anyway, so saying it is kinda redundant." Matthew virtually slapped himself. He was rambling, and hanging around in a potential war zone. Not the brightest idea, as bright ideas go.

"C'mon!" Dart yelled, pulling out his twin axes and swinging them in a dangerous manner.

"Hold on, ye twit!" Fargus yelled, impatiently. "We don't know how many are out there!" Matthew looked at the berserker oddly.

"Hello? You're a berserker, for Elimine's sake! What do you think that massive axe does, chop onions for the galley!" Fargus growled, and Matthew backed away, his fingers curling around his hidden stiletto. The spy knew- he had set off the warrior rage. The primeval killer hidden in every berserker and occasional swordmaster. Fargus grabbed his Killer Axe and crashed out onto the galley, where the mutineers were waiting.

Dart held his weapons defensively, while Fargus whipped his head around angrily. The scum were everywhere: hanging from ropes, and the archer just in front of him, the wiry one with the Killer Bow. Flaefir, the Swordmaster, placed a hand on his Killing Edge and walked forward.

"Captain Fargus, and First Mate Dart." he said wickedly, grinning. "What an unfortunate, though expected, surprise."

A teal-haired Pegasus Knight rode swiftly, as though the very hounds of the otherworld were behind her. Her Steel lance was held too tightly in her hand, making her knuckles turn white as she flew at breakneck speed towards the isle of Valor.

_Valor_, she thought bitterly. _Not what I displayed in battle, against that man. Not what prevented the death of my soldiers, my squadron . . . my friends._ a/n: Yes, I know valour is spelt with a 'u'. It's a play on words, gimme a break.

_Who was that man!_ she screamed inside her head. _He wasn't Black Fang . . . the garb was all wrong . . ._

Tears marred her vision, and sobs racked Fiora's body as her Pegasus did the guiding. The horrible scene from which she was still fleeing played out inside her head, regardless of her pain.

"_Hanasu!" she shouted. Her right-hand _woman_, Hanasu, tugged on her Pegasus' reigns until she was equal with her commander, Fiora. "Yes?"_

"_Tell the rest of them to pick up speed, we're falling behind schedule!" she cried, urging her Pegasus onward. Behind Fiora, Hanasu nodded, getting a better grip on her Iron lance, as she twisted around to see the full 3rd wing of the Pegasus Knights of Ilia-_

_When a used Iron sword emerged from the front of her white uniform._

"_You really shouldn't bleed . . ." her killer said, smiling demonically. "It stains your lovely uniform so much . . ."_

_Ruthlessly, the assassin pulled his sword from Hanasu's now-limp body and threw her aside, to fall into the seething ocean._

_Fiora whipped her head around, trying to brush her bangs out of her vision, hold her lance and ride her Pegasus at the same time. Shocked, she watched as the body of her close sub-commander and friend twirled in a grotesquely graceful drop straight down. Hanasu landed with a visible splash in the ocean, turning lazily face up, as if to say 'goodbye', before she sank out of sight. _

_Fiora stared daggers at the psycho on her best friend's steed. He giggled crazily, and cut the wings from the Pegasus as he leapt for another of Fiora's soldiers._

_Screaming, Fiora heaved on the reigns, ignoring her Pegasus' cries of distress as she turned and rocketed into the now-writhing melee of feathers, lances and a sword._

_Fiora spotted a flash of green cape, and thrusted her lance in that direction with a small cry._

"_Behind you." the maniac said, before laughing and slashing her roughly across her lance arm._

_Fiora screamed, and fought not to drop her lance into the ocean. Things were faded now. She barely heard the screams, both human and animal. One by one, she watched as her friends were cut down, trying in vain to kill something they could not see._

_Eventually, the assassin was perched on a Pegasus, and he and Fiora were alone in the sky, all previous occupants dead and sinking slowly into a watery black grave. The Pegasus was trying furiously to buck it's rider off, and he responded by casually cutting off it's wings._

_The creature plunged, neighing loudly, into the ocean, while the blood-crazed madman slipped into the water and started swimming._

_Fiora tuned out the cries of help from the wounded, turning her Pegasus towards land and flying as fast as she knew, tears flowing with a vengeance from her eyes. It would be a while before the souls of those she left behind would cease to torment her._

Hector made his way carefully through the trees, holding his Wolf Beil ready to strike at a moments notice. Eliwood and Lyn, teary but battle ready, were with him also. For some reason, Lyn's faithful cavalier Kent tagged along with them, moving his horse carefully between the trees with a Javelin ready to throw.

The blue-haired Lord blinked and rubbed his eyes. Had he caught a sight of pink hair through the fog? He strode forward carefully, pushing aside a knarled tree branch, bereft of leaves. The unforgiving conditions had twisted the tree and starved it of nourishment. Hector had no doubt it was from Nergal moving onto the island. He pushed through the fog to find-

"Leila!" he exclaimed, lowering his axe. "Impressive work, finding your way here!" The rest of his friends had reached the small clearing, and were looking at the spy expectantly. All but Lyndis, who was studying Leila carefully.

"Her eyes are closed." Kent remarked oddly. Lyn nodded. "Something's wrong with her." she agreed. "Leila?"

Hector gave his henchwoman a slight push, and she collapsed like a stringless puppet. The Ostian was confused, bending down and shaking her.

"Leila!" he shouted. "Leila, are you alright! Speak to me!" Lyn had already figured out the sad truth.

"She's dead . . ." she whispered, looking at the blue Lord. Hector shook his head, refusing to believe it until he turned her over. There was a large puncture wound, right in between the shoulder blades.

"A dagger." Eliwood noted. "Like the single dagger our assassin friend had left. The one he used on the Lady Tactician." Lyn jerked, and Kent gave her an awkward pat on the back. Eliwood winced at his mistake; apparently Lyndis wasn't over her friend's death yet.

"Sorry." he said weakly.

Hector laid the spy gently on the ground, his expression taut with hatred.

"He's Black Fang. I know it." he spat. "I swear an oath: when I find that scum, this 'X' who's killed our tactician and now Leila- I'll tear him apart with my bare hands!" he roared. Those who saw him were a little awed; they had never seen him like this.

"Shine!" shouted a voice from the trees. The whooshing sound of a Light spell filled the area, and all dropped to the ground instinctively. With the exception of Kent, who ducked low on his horse. A large ball of light magic sizzled into non-existance over the cavalier's head, close enough to singe a few red hairs. The Crimson Shield responded quickly, hurling a javelin into the brush where the voice had come from. He was rewarded with a scream.

"Sounds like Uhai's men have found us!" Eliwood called. "Everyone, grab a weapon! Engage Uhai's men on sight!"

Back at camp, people rushed around, trying to find their various packs of personal belongings, trying harder to find their weapons. Florina darted away from Guy, with whom she had been having the longest chat with a male she'd ever had. Instead if running for the piles of knapsacks, she ran for Huey. She always kept her Slim lance with her Pegasus. A Pegasus was easier to find than a Slim lance, she reasoned.

Florina dug her heels into Huey's flanks when _another_ Pegasus Knight flew overhead. She had teal-hair, and a sturdy Steel lance was gripped tightly. Florina shook her head and looked at the retreating girl in shock.

"Sister!" she shouted, hoping she was right. It could be terribly embarrassing if she was wrong, and dangerous if she was the enemy . . .

The Pegasus Knight wheeled around and flew towards the shy lavender-haired girl, slowing down as she neared her. Florina crossed her fingers, hoping hard, her hope blossoming into joy as the identity became clear.

"Sister! Fiora!" Florina cried happily. Fiora wiped her eyes of traces of tears and leant over to embrace her younger sister.

"Florina! What are you doing here!" she said. Florina still looked her shy, old self, but she came forth with a smile that told her older sister that the meek, easily-crying Florina had gained some self-esteem.

"I've joined Lyndis' Legion. And Lyn . . I-I mean, Lady Lyndis . . . we've been best friends for a long time . . ." she said happily. "We're here looking for Eliwood's f-father . . ." Fiora smiled, in spite of herself.

"I know why you're here, Sister." Florina blurted. Fiora did a double-take. Her sister had been away from Ilia for months! How could she possibly know . . .

"Sister, you musn't blame yourself!" Florina said, growing agitated. "You couldn't do anything- it wasn't your fault about Hanasu, or any of them!" Fiora watched her sister with mixed feelings: fear, grief, and a severe case of the heebie-jeebies.

"But . . . I failed them . . . I'm a failure, my cause is lost . . ." Fiora said unconsciously. Florina shook her head vehemently, tears sparkling in her crystal-blue eyes.

"No, you musn't think that! You're a wonderful Pegasus Knight! I joined the Pegasus Knights of Ilia because I admired you so!" she wept. Fiora felt her 'big sister' emotions take control, and she allowed herself to be caught up in the task of comforting her little sister. _I'll deal with the grief later_, she thought.

"Florina, don't cry . . . I'll come with you, if it'll make you happy." Fiora suggested. "You must feel uncomfortable around all these men . . ." Florina sniffed, though there was a small smile on her face.

"It's really not that bad . . ." she said. "There's a boy I met recently, who's actually really nice . . ."

"Erk! Watch out!" Serra cried, clasping her Heal staff in anticipation. The mage raised his hand, and thumped his magical tome in anger, bringing a large blue thunderbolt down to strike an oncoming Pirate where he stood.

"Serra, get back. You'll only get- arrgh!" he shouted. A Pirate had leapt over the body of his friend and found an excuse to plunge both axes into Erk's chest, causing large, bloody gashes to form. The Pirate adjusted his footing on the bridge and ripped the axes from Erk's body, laughing.

Erk swayed on his feet, a droplet of blood from a graze on his face hanging on his face. The wound came with a hidden consequence; Erk now held two handfuls of shredded paper. The axes had gone right through his magical tome, and now he was vulnerable. The Pirate grinned wickedly, advancing. The mage was almost dead already- and there! He just fell down, landing with a painful thump on the aged wooden bridge.

"Erk!" Serra shrieked. "Erk, get up! Please!" The mage didn't stir, and the Pirate stepped over him, assuming he was dead.

"I'll get rid of the noisy one, eh mates?" he called to the two others, who jeered in recognition. The axe-wielder stepped off the bridge, raising his weapons-

Thonk. The Pirate staggered back, his face and his pride smarting. The noisy cleric had just hit him in the face with a Heal staff! Hard, too, but his friends weren't to know that.

The Pirate placed a hand gingerly to his face, feeling the bruise and spitting out a dislodged tooth.

"You'll regret that, missy!" he shouted. Thonk. The Pirate staggered back, holding a swollen eye, when he tripped over Erk's body. The mage yelled in pain, and Serra raised her staff. The blue gem ignited with magical energy, and a blue ball of healing magic engulfed the body of the mage she had affections for. Love was too strong a word, she decided. She'll wait until she truly knew what love was.

Erk got to his feet, wincing at the pain in his chest. Serra smiled sweetly, and for once, Erk smiled back. It was a gentle, calm smile, and Serra's attraction rose by several notches. The smile soon disappeared.

"I'm weaponless." he hissed, his back to Serra. The cleric panicked, before smiling and handing him her Heal staff. Erk looked at the stave like it was from another planet.

"What do I do with this?" he asked incredulously. Serra sighed, exasperated, and snatched the staff from him.

"You do this!" she said, pushing him aside and belting the Pirate that had been sneaking up behind them across the face. He shouted, and tipped over the railing of the bridge and into the water. Erk raised his eyebrows, and took the staff from his old escortee.

"Impressive." Was all he had to say. "That shout may have alerted somebody, and if all we have is a Heal staff to use as a quarterstaff, we'd better-"

He stopped as an arrow shot under his arm and caught Serra across the side of her bust, spinning her around and falling to the ground. Erk turned to look at the Sacaen Nomad, calmly reloading a Steel bow for another shot.

"And for people with bows?" Erk said, his voice trembling surprisingly. Serra pulled herself up, holding an arm across her chest with her hand on the wound.

"We run!" she shrieked, turning and running into the thick fog. Erk followed suite, but the Nomad was quickly bearing down on them . . .

Rebecca peered hard into the fog, her bow nocked and raised. Any sign of movement would mean two arrows in rapid succession. _Careful_, she told herself. There had been word of cavaliers in the area . . .

A lance thrust out of the gloom, straight for Rebecca's heart! She let out a startled scream and dropped low, hoping to dodge the strike. She did, and an annoyed cavalier trotted out of the fog, squaring off in front of the teenage girl. He was much too close for a bow; Rebecca rose and prepared herself to dodge the next blow.

The cavalier whipped his head around, looking with wide eyes at something in the fog, when a navy-blue form hurtled out of the mist and crashed into the foe, unseating him from his horse and sending the lance dropping uselessly to the ground near Rebecca.

"Please, mercy!" the cavalier pleaded, before gurgling. The man had plunged his boradsword into her enemy's heart, and wrenched it out with a satisfied grunt.

Rebecca hung her bow over her shoulder and approached her ally.

"What's the big idea!" she shouted at the man, who was cleaning his sword. "He wanted mercy! He could have joined us; we should have turned him over to Lord Eliwood! Why did you have to be so heartless, you pig!"

The mercenary turned around, and Rebecca's hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh . . . oh, Raven, I'm-" He cut her off, and she could see the hurt in his eyes, even through the gloom.

"It's nice to know how you view me." he said sadly, before sheathing his sword and dashing into the gloom. Rebecca shook her head, and tears sprang to her eyes.

"No! Raven, I didn't know . . . please! I'm sorry!" she shouted, but sat back when the only response was the sounds of warfare. A part of Rebecca was actually _happy_.

_He deserves it, after what he did to you on the ship. Embarrassing you like that? He deserved every word._

No! I didn't mean . . . he doesn't deserve it! I care for him!

Her thoughts were violently interrupted when a pair came running through the mist; though the identity of one was betrayed long, long before they arrived in sight.

"Help!" Serra shrieked, one arm across her bust, and Rebecca noticed she had been wounded by the red stain that spread between Serra's fingers. Erk arrived close behind, holding a _Heal_ staff of all things, backing into view.

"Rebecca, there's a horrible archer chasing us! On a horse!" Serra cried. "Please, help-" The archer cut her off, whipping an arrow out of her sheath and aiming carefully before releasing the shaft in one fluid movement.

The Nomad rode out of the fog, and straight into Rebecca's arrow. He screamed, tumbling backwards off his horse in a comical fashion. The horse slowed down, and when it realised there was no danger, trotted happily off to find some place to graze.

"Serra, you wounded?" Rebecca asked, concern in her voice. The cleric nodded, lifting her arm to show the archer the wound. It was just an arrow graze, but it still bled a lot.

Serra thanked Elimine her chest wasn't as large as Kaira's had been, or she would have had a lot more trouble stopping the bleeding.

"Here, Serra." Rebecca said, after inspecting the scrape. She tossed the cleric a half-empty Vulnerary. "Some of it's gone, but take a mouthful and it should clear it up. But geez! Erk, why didn't you defend her!" The mage gave her a haughty look.

"If you _must_ know, my Thunder tome was ravaged when I _was_ protecting her. The Nomad came after the destruction of my weapon; I was helpless. We could only run." he explained frostily. Rebecca nodded, and pointed behind her.

"The merchant's tent isn't far that way. He might have a spare." she said, turning away and looking at the direction Raven had gone. Erk patted Rebecca on the back and left, with Serra still chattering.

Rebecca decided not to persue Raven, simply sitting down on a rock and looking dejectedly at the swirling fog. Her chances for a happy relationship, friendly or otherwise, were dashed. And she had been hoping so much for them to be more than friends . . . he was definitely attractive! But he was cold, and in the end that was what mattered most, Rebecca admitted.

"Cheer up, O fair one!" came a voice. Rebecca didn't even turn around, allowing the horse to trot next to her until the rider was able to make eye contact.

"Hello Sain." she said glumly. Sain opened his mouth to utter some outrageous comment on Rebecca's beauty, and Rebecca braced herself for another sappy poetic delivery-

When he closed his mouth and studied her for a moment. Rebecca looked up, startled. Surely Sain would have said something by now . . .

"I'll leave you be, then." he said compassionately, before turning his horse and riding into the fog. The archer leapt to her feet.

"Wait!" she cried. Sain turned around, raising an eyebrow. Rebecca ran up to the side of his horse, tugging on a pigtail nervously.

"Um, Sain . . ." Rebecca considered herself insane for even asking, but he _did_ appear to have a pure interest in her, he'd been lessening his flirting with other girls . . .

"Do you think you could stick around? I'm not too good at close combat, and-" she paused. Was she honestly about to tell Sain about her personal affairs?

"And I lost track of one of my friends in the fog, so . . . could you give me a hand?" she asked quietly. Sain smiled brilliantly, and nodded.

"Of course, woodland flower of priceless worth! I shall protect you always!" Rebecca winced. _What have I gotten myself into?_ she asked.

Sain reached down suddenly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up onto his horse, to ride behind him.

"Wha- Sain, what the-!" Rebecca stuttered. The Green Lance smiled innocently.

"Well, you can shoot your targets easier from a height, right?" he asked. "And I can protect you without having to keep track of you, and-" he snorted. "I did give you my hand. So what's the big deal?" The archer was silent, trying to contemplate the recent developments without laughing.

Sain took her silence as encouragement.

"Hang on!" he said, yanking on the reigns. His steed rose dramatically onto it's back legs, causing the cute Pheraen to wrap her arms around the cavalier to keep her balance. Rebecca sensed, quite rightly too, that Sain was gloating from head to toe.

Finally, the horse righted itself, and they rode into the swirling fog, where enemies no doubt laid, ready to pounce at the first sight of them.

Whew! Now _that_ was a long chapter. And up before Person's Unknown reached the 100 mark too . . . not bad! Anyway, more reviews not only means more chapters, but better chapters. So, for more chapters in better quality, send in the reviews! They make me happy . . .

Serra: So, ready to explain the incident before?

IceBlade28: What incident?

Serra: Hello! The lying and making me think Erk was nearby!

IceBlade28: Give it a rest, Serra. If you promise to stop bothering me, you get to tell them about the next chapter.

Serra: Ooh! Goody! Anyway, the next chapter has _me_ in it, so it's already a bestseller!

IceBlade28: Never mind. Anyway, next chapter: Florina gets into a tight spot as her older sister tries to find out about her premonitions. Matthew is uncaptured on the _Davros_, and must launch a daring resue attempt on Fargus and Dart if they're to retake the ship and defeat Flaefir! X is capured at the Dragon's Gate, Uhai is . . . well, there, and Rebecca finds out about Raven's parents. Also, Erk and Priscilla's relationship will strengthen.

Hope your looking forward to the next chapter! A reminder to read and review.

Serra: You didn't mention me!

IceBlade28: One more word from you and I'll put one of your bras in Erk's bed.

Serra: You wouldn't!

IceBlade28: eyes glittering dangerously Just try me, cleric.

Serra: I'll be good . . .

IceBlade28: A quick reminder to R&R.


	10. Chapter X: The Waiting Game

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter: (heck, do people even read these?)

The author, by the name of IceBlade28 glances around quickly removed Serra from the premises, to start with.

Then, the fic began. X had made it to the Dread Isle, and was experiencing guilt about the killing of Fiora's Pegasus Squadron. After he reflected on the strange substance (the nature of which the author will not disclose, and will continue to keep secret until about chapter 30 or 35) which had been removed from him, he disappeared into the misty forests of Valor and headed for the Dragon's Gate. Kent found Lyn, sobbing and tired, in a grove of trees a fair way from the grave of the late Tactician Kaira. It was also there that he confessed his attraction and affectionate feelings to her. Lyn allowed Kent to hug her, drawing what comfort she needed from his embrace to deal with the death of Kaira. Anything she felt after that was not revealed.

Dart and Fargus went after the _Davros_, commandeered by the mutinous Flaefir and eleven of his cohorts. They found Matthew and freed him from the tranquillising gel on his neck, and informed him of all that he had missed. They were later captured by an expectant Flaefir, though the thief escaped unnoticed.

Leila, the Ostian spy, was exposed by Ephidel and about to be executed by Jaffar when, in a surprising twist, Jaffar questioned his orders. It was then that X interfered, engaging in a fierce but brief duel with Jaffar before being mortally wounded by a well-aimed Elfire from Ephidel. Leila tried to run, but she was cut down by Jaffar. Ephidel later placed her body in the forest, where it was discovered by a vengeful Hector.

Uhai, the Soaring Hawk, invaded and gave them an ultimatum: return Ninian and leave, or die. The three Lord's questioned him about Nergal's sudden involvement with the Black Fang, and he gave them a little information before disappearing into the mist- and the battle began.

Fiora arrived, and was convinced by her sister Florina to stay on with their current army. Florina also made a rather crucial mistake: she revealed that she knew about Hanasu and the death of Fiora's Squadron, when she _couldn't_ have known such things; she had been absent the entire time and no word had gotten out about it. Nevertheless, Fiora stayed on with Eliwood's group.

Erk was struck down in the midst of battle, to be rescued in an unlikely manner by Serra: wielding her Heal staff as an effective baseball bat. Erk's only Thunder tome was destroyed, forcing the pair to run for their lives. Rebecca defeated a cavalier and almost took him alive, before Raven came out of the blue and slew the enemy. She chastised him harshly, perhaps too harshly, until she discovered Raven's identity. The hurt in his eyes was clear as he ran off, and Rebecca took out her frustration on the Nomad that was chasing Erk and Serra. After the incident with Rebecca, Erk and Serra, it was 'Sain to the rescue', offering emotional support as well as physical. For the first time, Rebecca didn't refuse.

And now, finally, we can start the chapter.

Serra: Taylor, I was wondering-

IceBlade28: For crying out loud, Serra, _not now_! And what have I told you about using my name in public!

Serra: Well, sorry! But I only had a question! Just one question- well, maybe two.

IceBlade28: takes deep breath. Fine. What do you want?

Serra: Well, first off- is there anything special about this jade stone that I've got in my hair? That bad man X tried to take it from me (see chapter VII)!

IceBlade28: Either way, it doesn't matter. I've already used up a page on the review of last chapter, so just- tell me your other question, quick.

Serra: Are Heal staves supposed to be used to whack people?

Iceblade28: Um . . . on with the fic!

Serra: But-

IceBlade28: BTW, my computer got hit with another virus, knocked off some necessary program, and now FE won't run. So, I apologise if some of the people are a little OOC.

**Chapter X: The Waiting Game**

Lucius bit his lip, looking at the empty sleeve of his robes. The dark magic had left him permanently scarred, and missing an arm. He could barely eat his food, much less be any use in battle. Awkwardly, he rolled his sleeve up and stared at the wound. Nothing was left of his right arm, and the mark where the assassin had slashed it was healing nicely.

The monk paused, reflecting on the green-cloaked man that had saved his life back on the _Davros_. He was wielding a sword, and yet he was an assassin by class. What kind of assassin wields a sword? The child was not evil at heart, Lucius knew it.

He looked up at a disturbance. It was Serra, pink-faced and breathless, along with the purple-haired mage . . . Erk, that was his name. The mage wrenched his hand from Serra's grasp and walked over to the shelves with the magical tomes on them. Why on earth magical tomes were located in the healer's tent, Lucius would never know. _The merchant Merlinus must be too burdened with physical weapons to store something like tomes_, Lucius thought irritably.

"Lucius!" Serra cooed, walking over to the scarred monk. "How's your arm? The missing one, I mean." Lucius glanced at his empty sleeve, then back at the cleric.

"It's fine, Sister Serra." he said, before a gentle smile. "Although, I'm a little worried about you. Running away with a mage, holding hands, and then appearing pink-faced and breathless . . ." the monk grinned surprisingly.

"You haven't been disobeying your vows of chastity, have you? You _are_ only sixteen, you know." Serra's eyes went briefly dreamy, and Lucius caught the expression before the usual Serra averted itself.

"I have not been breaking my vows with Erky- Erk! Besides, _Brother_ Lucius," she said huffily. "I _have_ seen you without your shirt on!" Erk whirled around from the selection of Anima tomes to gape open-mouthed at the pair.

"Wha . . . Serra!" he said, shocked. "You've seen him . . . with no-" Lucius, reddening quickly, waved his hands in agitation.

"No! It's not what you think- she thought I was a woman!" Lucius babbled. Erk raised an eyebrow, conveying disbelief while still holding a shocked expression. All in all, he was pretty freaked out. Lucius would have smacked his forehead, but he didn't usually indulge in such redundant activities.

"I'm going to go now . . . Serra, you stay here with your, um, friend . . ." he said cautiously, before leaving the tent in a flash. Lucius sighed, flopping back on the bed.

"Sister Serra, you had to do that, didn't you?" he asked in a resigned tone. The cleric smiled girlishly.

"Of course, _Brother_ Lucius." she giggled. "And I thought you said you were fine with that little accident!" she said, offended. Lucius sighed, staring at the ceiling of the tent in resignation.

"You can go, child. I'll be fine by myself." Serra gave him a sidelong look before shaking her head and trotting out the open tent flap.

Matthew placed a hand against the cold wood wall, moving slowly back into the shadows. In his other hand was his secret stiletto blade; a handy piece of equipment for getting out of tight spots. It was no good in a real knife fight; but for slitting throats or sawing through bonds, there was nothing like it.

Fargus and Dart had both been knocked out and bound when they were caught in Flaefir's ambush. Matthew, fortunately, had stayed back in the shadows of the hallway and avoided detection. So long as neither the captain or Dart gave away any information about him being on board, he should be fine.

All the Ostian needed now was a plan. If he could whittle down the numbers of the mutineers, free Fargus and Dart and somehow get Fargus his weapon, they would be fine.

Matthew smirked, treading lightly down the hallway. It was ironic, really. Still, he had a good example to work off of. Everything X had done to them until now . . . more than one leaf would be taken out of _that_ particular book. Yes indeed.

The spy prised open a porthole covering and crawled onto the outside of the ship, starting to climb. The mutineers were probably dullards, with the possible exception of the archer. Any spy worth his salt should have them running scared and babbling like idiots before killing them. And Matthew was definitely worth his salt. Even Hector had admitted that.

The red-cloaked man peeked over the railing. It was evening, and strange shadows were being cast. A fine mist had also drifted in from the Dread Isle; Matthew felt like laughing. This would just be too darn easy. The two sentries weren't even looking in his direction!

"So, mate," said an axe-wielding pirate, before spitting a large gobbet of tobacco juice on the deck. "What d'you think of this hostage business?" His fellow sentry, a Soldier by class, had his lance resting against the mast, slightly hidden by darkness.

"Dunno. Not really none of our business, is it?" he chirped, adding to the puddle of tobacco spit. "Not none of our concern. Is Flaefir that does all our thinkin', we just follow orders. Leas', don't matter to me, long as I get to stick somefin' wiff me lance." Matthew felt like slapping the man and telling him to shape up. Stupid slack-jawed idiots. He slid over the railing and crept silently over to the mast, pressing his back to the round pole. Matthew judged the lance to be within arms reach, and waited for the right moment.

"So, anyway's, Deagor." said the Pirate, tearing off a large chunk of tobacco. "Yew reckon you could beat me in a figh'?" he drawled, launching another lump of brown saliva into the puddle. Deagor opened his mouth to reply-

When a scraping sound drew both their attention. The pirate turned to the sound, a confused expression on his face. Not exactly an unused expression either.

"Ay, Deagor." he mumbled around a mouthful of tobacco. "Wadn't your lance jus' there?" The Soldier looked at the place where he had lain his weapon. There was a slight scrape across the wood of the mast, but apart from that it appeared that his lance had disappeared.

"Yeah, it was." Deagor said, wandering over to the mast. Slowly, he rubbed a hand over the chipped wood. Behind him, the pirate shifted nervously.

"Deagor, 'urry it up. It's gettin' spooky out 'ere."

"'Ang on!" he shouted, irritated. Slowly, the Soldier walked around to the other side of the pole, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck raise.

He looked up. And screamed.

Matthew jerked, peering around from behind his hiding spot. He didn't do that! He had gone to the wrong mast! Matthew cursed his mistake; it could cost him. But if he didn't kill the Soldier, who did?

"Deagor? Deagor!" the Pirate shouted. The scream had abruptly died away to a gargle, though there was no 'thump' of the body on the wood. The sun was sinking rapidly, and the mist was growing more pronounced. Slowly, the Pirate advanced, holding his axes tight. Nervously, he wiped a forearm across his forehead. It came away damp. Sweat? At this temperature?

"Deagor?" he called fearfully. Someone breathed heavily on the nape of his neck; he screamed and spun around, axes flashing through the mist. There was nothing; only swirling fog. His breath was jittery; the pirate was hyperventilating. Sweat was soaking his clothes, and he was shivering. Or was he trembling?

"Deagor?" he whispered, sounding like he was going to burst into tears.

"Behind you." said a voice. The pirate shrieked, and a fine sword slashed into the pirate's belly. He collapsed to the deck, bleeding profusely.

Matthew peered from his viewing point behind the second mast. As far as he knew, X had never left the ship . . . but still, he had missed so much. It didn't change anything, though. Could X still be on the _Davros_? he asked himself, fearful of the answer. The assassin has bested him once already; and with obvious ease.

The remainder of the mutineers stormed out of the captain's cabin, their weapons drawn and ready.

"Who's there?" shouted the archer. "Come on! Show yourself, coward, or I'll shoot you down!" Slowly, a figure emerged from the fog.

"So I'm a coward, am I?" Flaefir asked dangerously. The archer shook his head vigourously.

"Oh no, Captain Flaefir. You're no coward, not now or ever!" The Swordmaster nodded.

"And that's what I like to hear. I _am_ Captain of this vessel now." The Sacaen unsheathed his Killing Edge and slashed the bottom rung of the rope ladder. The body of Deagor fell to the floor, looking completely healthy, except for the expression of naked terror.

And the five remaining inches of lance shaft that _didn't_ go down his throat sticking straight out of his mouth. More than one mutineer cringed at the sight.

"These two," Flaefir said, nudging both corpses with the tip of his boot. "-were slacking, pathetic dullards who decided that as long as they did what they were told, they would be on a happy pleasure cruise. Well, that's not how things work."

From his hiding spot behind the second mast, Matthew nodded in admiration. Flaefir was a heartless, back-stabbing scumbag, but he knew how to motivate his minions.

"I encourage _thinking_ in my subordinates." he proclaimed. "Don't be afraid to be inventive when an easy solution does not slap you in the face." The Swordmaster kicked the pirate in the ribs again.

"Someone dispose of this mess." he said. "And take Deagor and strap him to the figurehead." Flaefir looked at him from side-on, smiling half-heartedly.

"I kinda like him like that." he laughed. He turned to leave, his flowing Swordmaster robes swirling in the fog.

"Oh, and by the way," he said, without turning. "There's another of the gorilla's friend's on board. There was someone else that accompanied Fargus and the ape, Dart. He's still on board, probably listening now. The one who finds him will have a reward waiting, if he brings me his- or her- head, and details of how you did it."

The mutineers scattered, and Flaefir grinned, heading for his cabin. All in all, not too bad a day's work. Sure, now there were only ten mutineers on board in total, but Flaefir wasn't too concerned about that. All he needed to do was root out the whelp hiding on board, and things would be fine.

Matthew froze, still hiding behind the mast. Flaefir was heading straight for him! He inched his way around the mast, crouching slightly to make use of the fog that had now enshrouded the boat. Flaefir's footsteps sounded closer . . .

The Swordmaster paused, next to the mast. He turned, staring at the back of the large, wooden mast. Slowly, he reached for his Killing Edge. There was probably nothing there, but the prickling on the back of his neck . . . Flaefir slashed brutally at the mast, just beneath the layer of fog.

The sword collided soundly with the wood. Nothing. Flaefir centred himself with the mast and went to pull the sword out, when he paused. Carefully, he inspected the blade. Several golden brown hairs were pinned between the sword's fine edge and the mast.

The Sacaen scowled. Doubtless the whelp had been here, and Flaefir had just missed beheading his problem. He would have fled by now.

Flaefir was now livid, and he stomped into his quarters and slammed the door. Matthew, still crouching, slowly breathed a sigh of relief, allowing a shudder to pass through him. A centimetre lower, and Flaefir would have scalped him. An inch closer, and he would have stepped on him.

Matthew hadn't moved the entire time.

Rebecca awkwardly shot an arrow through a thick pile of leaves, and was rewarded with a scream. It was much harder to fire arrows from a horseback; she was only fifteen, for Elimine's sake! Some people wouldn't say that's an excuse, but she felt it was valid.

"My fairest lady," Sain said, dramatic as always. "That was a superbly executed shot! May I say, you are taking to a horse like a natural!"

"Please, Sain." Rebecca said dryly, not really in the mood for a lot of airy poetic flirtings. "That shot was rubbish. I'm not used to riding on a horse; and you only like it because it hitches my skirt up higher." Rebecca had hit the nail directly on the head; not that she would find that out, ever.

"Lady Rebecca, surely it is not so!" The green-haired girl shook her head, irritated.

"Sain, if you had eyes in the back of your head, you would either be staring at my chest or admiring _some_ part of my body! You do it with every single girl in camp, and you even tried to get me to buy a corset in Badon. A _corset_, knowing full well what I would look like in it! You are a sick man, Sain!"

"But I thought you forgave me for that!" he pleaded, as Rebecca slid off the horse. The green-haired Pheraen held a hand up.

"Sain, you are a sick, perverted man. I don't know why I bothered to come with you." And the archeress dashed off into the mist. Sain sighed, tired of the constant bickering and gossiping about his 'women habits'. So he was a bit flirtatious, who cared? About half the girls in the camp, apparently.

Sain swapped his lance for a sword and nudged his horse into the confounded fog. Maybe it was time to set his sights on another girl . . .

Nah. He would win Rebecca over, no matter the cost!

He swiped irritably at the back of an unsuspecting mercenary, who blocked it deftly and twirled his sword, the point seeking for the cavalier's handguard. Sain pulled it back, surprised. Black Fang mercenaries weren't supposed to be this skilled! The Green Lance paused, his sword in the defensive position. If this one was so 'skilled', then maybe Sain had a vent for his frustration.

Sain swiped at the mercenary's head, before quickly changing direction and cutting vertically. If it connected, it would sever his arm, and the man would spend too much time screaming to prevent Sain's killing blow.

The mercenary not only anticipated the strike, he grabbed Sain's wrist and hauled him off the horse, which quickly bolted.

Sain landed solidly on the ground, and the swordpoint hovered just above his throat. The Green Lance swallowed hard. He had been bested; though he sorely regretted entering Elimine's domain so quickly. He wasn't done here yet! Sain felt like crying.

"You should know by now who are your allies and who are your enemies!" the mercenary shouted, waving the fog away from his face. Sain frowned. He'd seen those cold eyes before, that auburn hair . . .

"Raven?" he asked. The mercenary's face came into view, and Sain breathed a sigh of relief.

"Raven! Thank goodness it's you! I had no idea that was you- I didn't mean to almost kill you!" Raven kept the sword where it was, staring at him coldly.

"It wasn't your fault . . . this fog makes it hard to see." he muttered. "The fog is very thick . . . as far as you and I are concerned, we're completely alone. They won't find you before the fog lifts; the army will have moved on by then." Sain was confused.

"Raven? Can you tell me what the heck you're talking about?" he said. The mercenary shrugged.

"I'm going to kill you. It'd be doing the camp a favour, and the women would sleep easier at night." Sain started sweating, looking cross-eyes at the swordpoint beneath his chin.

"Goodbye, Sain." Raven said, his grip tightening around the sword. The cavalier sent a furious prayer to Elimine, hoping for deliverance . . .

"Hey, Raven! The Lord's have called to rally around them." Rebecca shouted. "Let's go!" Raven glanced over his shoulder at the approaching Pheraen. Sain kept praying, his eyes flicking left and right.

Raven sniffed contemptuously, and lowered the swordpoint.

"Consider this a warning." he said, removing the sword. Then he paused, and flicked the tip back over Sain's throat.

"No." he said. "Consider this-" he flicked the tip of his weapon, drawing a nasty cut across the side of his neck. It bled, but not much.

"-a warning." Raven finished, quickly sheathing his sword and turning to Rebecca, who had breathlessly arrived on the scene. Sain took the opportunity to run with his life intact. The archer watched him go, curious.

"Geez, Raven- what'd you do to him?" she asked sceptically. The mercenary shrugged, clearly uncaring.

"Nothing fatal." he said, before growing defensive. "And you're lucky it was non-fatal; I'm a heartless pig, remember!" The girl shook her head, already upset.

"Look, Raven- about earlier," Rebecca began. "I-" Raven cut her off, a strange look on his face.

"There is a reason . . ." he said hesitantly, as though the words were newly learnt. " . . . why . . . I'm this way. But such things are not to be discussed on the battlefield. The Lord's require us. We must go."

And he left Rebecca again, but this time with the tears in his own eyes.

X opened his eyes blearily, trying to see where he was. He moved his arm weakly; the clink of chains brought him wide awake. It was pitch black, and he was chained and manacled to a stone wall. The sound of rushing magic sounded a few feet in front of him, and a ball of flame appeared to hover in mid-air.

"Well, well. Our guest has awakened." said a voice. X's mind raced, trying to recollect what had happened. He had been helping Leila, the Ostian spy. Jaffar and Ephidel tried to stop them . . . Ephidel had almost revealed information, so X attacked, and-

_I remember now- I was hit by an Elfire spell, knocked backwards into a wall and lost consciousness_, X thought.

"Ephidel." he spat. The ball of fire drifted lazily over, and the light illuminate both X's face and the glittering golden eyes of the morph, Ephidel.

"So, our little . . . _spy_ has awakened, has he?" he asked evilly, knowing full well what the answer was.

"Yes, I'm awake and fine, you soulless halfling." Ephidel cocked his head at the assassin's odd word choice.

"Halfling?" X was too happy to oblige.

"Yeah. Sorry, monster, but you'll never be human, no matter how much you want it. Nergal is not Elimine. He cannot create humans, only abominations like you. You have no soul, you puppet!" X shouted, the fury shining through his luminescent blue eyes.

Ephidel dropped the smile, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

"I know your secret, X. I know how you were born. You charge me with being less than human, of being soulless . . ." the morph whirled on the assassin, who was struggling hard, struggling against his chains.

"Do you even know yourself!" Ephidel raged, spittle flying from his mouth. "Have you, chained to a wall, looked deep inside yourself, and tried to see what was there? Do you even know if you _have_ a soul, a heart!" The words stung X, though he'd die before he let this morph know how much.

"You don't know what it's like!" Ephidel howled, the ball of fire fluctuating in size. "You don't know, to look inside yourself and see nothing! To have only an abyss within, and to look at yourself, and know that you consist of constructed materials, that you are completely artificial!" X watched the ranting morph with curiosity. He was barking mad, driven by his impulse to be human, and the self-hate which consumed him, knowing it could never be.

"Do you have a soul at all, X?" Ephidel asked, the madness shining through his eyes. "Even Jaffar, ruthless killer that he is, is human. He bleeds, he feels- he _felt_ emotions. He has a soul, a spirit which resides in him, because _he is human_! Do you _feel_?" he asked crazily. X pressed himself closer to the wall. This would get ugly before it got better.

"Do you!" Ephidel screamed, launching the ball of fire at X's face. The assassin twisted his neck awkwardly, and the fireball smashed into the rock next to his neck. Searing pain raced across X's neck, though the fireball had missed entirely. He'd probably get a nasty burn from the radiant heat, and the stone debris had left him a long, narrow cut across the cheek.

Ephidel was panting for breath now, trying to regain his composure. With very deliberate gestures, he conjured up another fireball and left it resting in a bowl of oil nearby. It gave off light, but only enough to see about three feet in front of X.

"Jaffar," he said to the darkness. "You will tell no-one of this incident." Ephidel turned to leave, before looking back at the assassin, who's bright blue eyes showed no fear.

"Oh. and Jaffar-" he said, smiling maliciously. "Feel free to have some fun with him. But don't kill him; I want information. Rough him up as badly as you want- feel free to make him bleed, badly if you have to- but don't kill him. I want him alive." And he warped out, leaving only an echoing laugh.

X cursed quietly, and he turned his head to see a pair of stone-cold crimson eyes staring back. The faint sound of metal against leather was sounded, and a pair of gleaming daggers appeared in the torchlight.

A scream resounded through the Dragon's Gate.

Florina was flying just behind her sister, Fiora, her frightened eyes scanning the fog-laden ground below.

"Florina, keep close to me." Fiora called back. "I don't want you flying off alone." Florina nodded meekly, nudging Huey, her Pegasus, in the flanks with her long moccasins. The mount shifted, and it flew a little closer to Fiora's own Pegasus. Florina brushed a forearm across her forehead, moving away the loose strands of lavender hair. Squinting through the fierce wind, Florina began to lose her grip on the Slim lance. She just felt so . . . tired . . . being frightened took a lot out of her.

Slowly, Florina inched forward and rested her head on Huey's mane, closing her eyes. She wasn't going to sleep, she was just resting her eyes for a moment . . .

Florina fell asleep, though somehow kept a hold of her lance. She was back in the dark cavern, with torches adorning the far walls. It was massive, like a mountain had been hollowed out. Pits of lava bubbled all around, and Florina scarcely gave them a glance. She'd seen this all before- the lava, the bubbling pits, the cavernous hall. The Pegasus Knight looked at the weight in her hands to see her Slim lance. She gave it an experimental twirl, and she felt a little more comfortable.

Florina's head jerked up, and she looked around quickly. There had always been an enemy, someone to fight. Every time she had these premonitions, there had been a foe. First Hector, then the assassin 'X' . . . there should still be someone to fight this time. And they always came from-

The Ilian spun around and screamed. There was a broad Sacaen man standing not four metres away from her, and he had appeared almost magically. No sound, no breathing, nothing. He had a large and probably deadly scimitar sheathed at his waist, and all manner of darts, knives, and other assorted nasty things on straps across his chest. He also had a quiver of arrows, no doubt for the impressive bow he held in his hand. Florina felt the usual rush of fear grab her hard. She did not like bows; she was even skittish around Wil and Rebecca, the latter of whom she was getting to know and was actually quite a nice girl. She still used a bow, though.

"Who . . . who are y-you?" she whimpered.

"I am Uhai! The Soaring Hawk of Sacae!" he proclaimed boldly. "I will be responsible for slaying each and every one of you!" And without warning, he unsheathed a foreign and deadly looking knife and threw it expertly at her head.

Florina screamed, dropping low to the ground. The knife whizzed overhead and into the pit, making a slight splashing sound as it landed in the pool of molten rock. Florina got to her feet unsteadily, aiming a shaking lance point at the form of Uhai, with tears pouring down her face.

_Come on, Florina!_ she told herself. _Be strong! Don't cry!_

But . . . he's got a bow . . . he's going to ki-kill me . . .

Uhai pulled an arrow from his quiver, loaded his bow, aimed and released in one fluid movement. The arrow thudded into Florina's chest, and the next experience she felt was the usual paralytic pain from the lava she had landed in.

The Pegasus Knight screamed as dazzling colours flooded her vision, and her heart suddenly pained her. It wasn't like the screaming, prominent, dream-induced pain of the lava- this was different. Her heart was beating fast, too fast! It hurt . . .

And then she was suspended, with the fierce wind ruffling her clothes. The strange out-of-focus sphere she seemed to be encased in, with the one circle of clear vision straight ahead. Her chest was really starting to ache, and the pain intensified.

_Please!_ Florina screamed in her head. _Just show me what I'm meant to see- just stop the pain!_

Florina stared fixedly ahead, watching as the premonition unfolded. It involved Fiora, her sister again . . . she was flying along, when her Pegasus reared up and spun around. Fiora pulled up alongside-

Florina. Florina was looking at herself. She was slumped over in the saddle, her eyes closed with an expression of pain on her face.

An arrow shot from the undergrowth, ripping through the Pegasus' beautiful wing. It bucked, and Fiora came unseated, falling down . . .

Florina screamed as her sister landed on the ground below, and the pain in her chest grew beyond endurance. She blacked out.

Fiora chanced a glance backwards at her sister. She blinked hard, and focused on the lavender-haired form of her sister. Florina was asleep in the saddle!

She pulled up hard on the reigns, and her Pegasus neighed in complaint, rearing up in the air before banking left and flying back towards Huey and his sleeping rider. What on earth was Florina doing? Fiora wondered. It was _extremely_ dangerous to fall asleep in the saddle- you could fall out, or your Pegasus could swerve and you still fell out . . .

"Florina!" she shouted, pulling up alongside her sister. She was resting her head on Huey's mane, her Slim lance gripped loosely.

"Wake up!" she shouted. Florina jerked up, her bright blue eyes wide and afraid.

"Sister- move!" Florina screamed, grabbing hold of the other mount's reigns and yanking on them. Shrieking, the Pegasus flew over the top of Florina and Huey, and the arrow Florina had dreamt about shot out of the trees. Fiora saw the shaft moved her leg hurriedly, watching it fly uselessly past her and lose momentum, to drop to the ground below. The lavender-haired girl quickly ducked, watching the hooves of her sister's mount pass over her head.

Fiora looked at her sister oddly. First knowing about Hanasu, and now the arrow?

"Florina? Is there something your not telling me?" she asked seriously. Meekly, Florina shook her head no . . .

And her hand flew to her chest in pain.

"Florina?" her sister asked, concerned. Florina's eyes grew bigger, and the pain increased. It was the pain in her dream, her heart was beating faster and faster-

With a little cry, Florina slipped out of the saddle, and fell for the trees below. Fiora raced her Pegasus down, but Florina fell through a cloud . . .

Fiora punched a hole through the vapour, but when visibility cleared, all she could see was trees.

"Thunder!" Erk bellowed, conjuring a magical lightning bolt to strike the enemy in front of him. The enemy monk was blown backwards, landing hard on the ground. Erk advanced, but his foe was quick to retaliate.

"With the power of Elimine, I strike thee with the power of Light! Shine!" A ball of Light magic sped impossibly fast towards Erk, and tapped softly on his chest. Erk looked at the fading ball of magic, trying feebly to wound him, to do _something_. Impatiently, he waved a hand through the cloud, which dispersed.

He raised an eyebrow fractionally. The monk scrambled to his feet, the fear on his face plain to read.

Erk strode over confidently, closed his tome and laid the monk a heavy blow to the head; he collapsed, unconscious.

The Etrurian knelt quickly, taking out a bundle of leather straps and tying the monk's hands and feet. A little present for Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood and Lady Lyndis.

"Erk?" sounded a voice from behind the treeline. The mage stood up, picking up his Thunder tome and heading for the source of the voice.

"Through here, Lady Priscilla." he called back, making his way through the thick scrub. He reached through a bush, ready to brush it apart-

When he felt something soft and smooth. Confused, he rubbed his hand against it, before it grabbed him. Frustrated, Erk pulled the rest of the bush apart, but it was ripping apart faster than he was pulling. It was like the bush was being pulled apart from the other side, and it was quickly a pile of twigs and leaves. Erk wiped his remaining hand on his robe before looking at the object.

Priscilla had hold of his hand, and he had hold of hers. Erk let go hurriedly, looking away in embarrassment. Priscilla let her hand drop, before she smiled sweetly.

"We'll just pretend that never happened." she said. Erk nodded, still looking at the ground.

"The Lord's have called for reinforcements. We should go." the mage said quietly, before turning and striding through the remains of the bush. Priscilla watched him go, with sadness shining through her emerald eyes.

"Erk, wait." she said, running to catch up to him. The purple-haired mage turned to look at her, expectant.

"Look, the truth is-" Erk cut her off.

"The truth is, my duty, first and foremost, is to protect you. I promised your father I would see you safely to Etruria . . ." he said neutrally. "I cannot allow myself to jeopardise your safety in any way . . . and if I love you, it _will_ affect my judgement. Priscilla, I'm sorry." he finished, turning away and continuing his march through the misty jungle.

Though neither could see it, both had tears spilling from their eyes.

Uhai sat carefully atop his horse, holding a prized Steel bow tightly in his hands. Granted, a Steel bow wasn't exactly special, but he'd taken down a lot of tough targets with it; he trusted this bow. He would kill many more with this weapon before the Soaring Hawk died. Uhai watched bitterly as his two Nomad bodyguards were cut down with no apparent difficulty, both by the blue-haired Lord with the axe.

Fuming. the Sacaen waited as the axe-wielding Lord was joined by his two friends, the Sacaen woman in green and the red-haired Lordling with the vicious-looking sabre. Uhai swiftly loaded his Steel bow and aimed it at the blue-haired Lord.

"This is your last chance." Uhai shouted, his face hard and determined. "Return the girl to me, and flee the island _now_, and I will spare you all!"

"You seem pretty cocky, nomad!" Hector shouted back. "Maybe I should take you down a peg- after all, you're not above murdering women!" Angrily, Hector grasped his Wolf Beil and ran out alone, straight for Uhai.

"Hector, no!" Eliwood shouted. Lyn ran after her Ostian friend, trying to call him back.

Uhai watched the furious Ostian racing towards him and his horse. Uhai kept the bow taut, waiting for the right moment to release the shaft. _Just a little closer_, Uhai prayed. _Just a little closer . . ._

Hector powered through a tree branch as though it didn't exist, raising his axe high.

"Uhai!" Hector bellowed, and the Soaring Hawk released the arrow, reloading quickly and sending a second missile after it.

Hector felt the first arrow punch through his armour, then the second rammed into his belly. Hammer blows. He was lifted bodily and thrown backwards, before landing hard on his back, with the two arrow shafts sticking straight up in the air.

"Hector!" Eliwood shouted, running down the field. Lyndis wasn't close behind, but she stopped when she saw Hector push on his hands and sit up, feeling the arrows that had hit him.

Hector tapped the shafts in wonderment, and started laughing. Eliwood knelt at his friend's side, confused. "Hector?" he asked, nervous. He was probably delirious, Eliwood decided. His friend was delirious at the time of his death.

"Eliwood, I'm fine! The arrows didn't go through the armour!" And to prove it, Hector twisted the shafts and pulled them out, completely intact. Lyn stood slack-jawed at the sight, and the blue-haired Lord winced.

"Eliwood, can you get this armour off me? They made huge dents, and it's kinda hard to breathe-" The Pheraen nodded, laughing as he undid the clasps to the armour and lifted it off of his friend.

"Incredible," Uhai whispered, watching them. "The arrows didn't even penetrate. What kind of . . ."

He placed his bow in a special sheath on the side of his charger, and slowly drew his Killing Edge. Uhai kicked the flanks of his horse, riding quickly for the unlucky pair of Lord's.

"Prepare to die, for I am Uhai!" he roared. "The Soaring Hawk of Sacae! You will die, each by my sword!" Eliwood looked up to see the rider bearing down on them, his scimitar flashing through the mist . . .

"No! As a woman of Sacae, I will not permit it!" Lyn screamed. Uhai looked at the woman with curiosity- she was dashing for him a lot quicker than he had given her credit for.

Then she drew her sword. It was magnificent, and Uhai marveled at it. The blade was long, and keen as ice, with holy runes inscribed upon the blade-

"The Mani Katti?" Uhai mumbled. "_The_ Mani Katti?" Lyn leapt on top of a boulder and pushed off, flying through the air towards Uhai . . .

And she collided hard with him, taking Uhai neatly from the saddle and sending his scimitar falling to land in a tuft of grass.

There was an unknown swooping sound, and Uhai screamed. Lyn held tight to the powerful man, and they landed hard on the grass. Lyn bounced once and settled, taking the wind from her, while Uhai skidded to a stop.

Breathing hard, the Soaring Hawk rose to his feet. Lyn coughed hard, wetting the dead grass with a small amount of blood. The pain in her side was . . . well, painful. She had cracked one, maybe more of her ribs when she landed.

The Soaring Hawk looked at the shaft sticking from his shoulder, grimacing. Lyn looked at it in wonderment. Where had the javelin . . .?

"Milady Lyndis!" Kent shouted, hefting another javelin. Uhai turned around, and pulled a curved knife from a sheath across his chest. The Soaring Hawk flung it at the cavalier- it struck him high on the shoulder, spinning the cavalier around and dropping him hard.

Lyn shouted with fury and swiped at Uhai with her sacred sword. The Soaring Hawk turned around, and the sharp blade carved across his torso, cutting the straps of weapons and digging deep into his flesh. He dropped to a knee, gasping.

"You . . . are a woman of Sacae . . ." he said, his words grating through his throat. His breath was short and raggedy. "And yet . . . you fight like a man . . ." Uhai's hand crept over to a double-bladed knife of his own design, lying in the dust.

He screamed, and buried the knife into Lyn's thigh. The effect was perfect; Lyn's leg buckled and collapsed. But it was too little, too late- Uhai had forgotten about a certain someone.

"Lyndis!" Eliwood rushed over, his crimson cape flying from the speed. He kicked Uhai in the face, the blow pushing him upright. The Pheraen then buried the Rapier into the Sacaen's chest, ripping out with a growl.

Uhai collapsed, his face pale and waxy.

"You are strong . . ." he choked, and a trickle of blood oozed out of his mouth. "Stronger than I thought . . ." Hector had arrived on the scene, anger shining through his eyes.

"Out of respect . . . a final gift from me . . . from here, head south . . . turn west at the rotten tree . . Uhai gasped. "There lies the path . . . to the Dragon's Gate."

And the Soaring Hawk fell, never to fly again.

Hector looked at the body of the man dispassionately.

"I don't know if you killed Leila, but even if you didn't . . . I'll tear apart the entire Black Fang to find him!" he muttered angrily.

Lyn watched the body of the Sacaen sadly. He had forced the fight, knowing full well what would happen . . . a life had been wasted. A man that might have joined them was dead. Grandfather had been right, she thought. There was no joy in warfare.

She turned away and started walking.

Florina woke suddenly, and her chest ached. Gingerly, she rubbed it, thinking of the speed her heart was racing at during the premonition and in real life.

_I don't know what will happen next time,_ she admitted.

What if it's worse? Could I die from these dreams?

_I don't know, Florina. But things with the dreams are escalating . . . perhaps we need to see Hannah_ . . .

But she scares me . . .

_Know anyone else with experience in these matters?_

Well . . . no.

Florina leant forward, and stopped. She placed a hand to her cheek; it came away bloody. The Pegasus Knight looked around her, trying to get a bearing on her surroundings. It was dark by now; night had fallen, and the fog was seeping back through the trees. Florina tried to move, but every breath caused pain. The side of her uniform touched her ribs; it was wet with blood.

Florina was lost, wounded, and scared. If help did not come, she would be in deep trouble.

Deeper in the woods, a wolf's howl split the night.

Well, that oughta do it for Chapter 10! Hope you guys all liked it. As I said before, some of the people may be OOC as a program on my computer got deleted and FE will no longer run until I download the program from the Internet. (Yes, I have FE on my computer. Long story.)

Well, read and review, guys and gals. The more reviews I get, the better the chapters are. Inspiration for Ephidel's little scene came from a bunch of spoilers I read about Kaoru Nagisa from _Neon Genesis Evangelion_. Creepy but awesome.

A quick little reminder to R&R. And I'll see you in Chapter 11!


	11. Chapter XI: The Path Of One Is Made

A Quick Review Of Last Chapter:

Heck, you know what? I doubt anyone reads these, so this time, I'm not going to do it! Hah!

Serra: Taylor, it's your job. Do the review.

IceBlade28: Oh come on, Serra. Just because you're my muse doesn't mean you get to boss me around. In fact, shouldn't it be the _other_ way around? It should, shouldn't it?

Serra: Um . . . no? But you still have to do the review, or I'll hit you with my stone.

IceBlade28: Fine, fine. Here we go.

Back in Chapter X, after Serra asked awkward questions and the author shut her up-

Serra: Hey!

IceBlade28: Shut up.

The fic finally began. Lucius the monk was recuperating in the healer's tent, examining the stump of his right arm. (His right arm was destroyed by dark magic when he had been hit with a Flux spell in Chapter VII.) Serra and Erk ducked into the healer's tent, where the spare magic tomes were kept; Merlinus had no spare room in his wagon for a lot of books, and so they were kept in the infirmary. Lucius teased Serra gently about bursting in, pink-faced, breathless, and holding a mage's hand.

Serra countered with the fact that she had seen him with his shirt off. When the monk saw the expression on Erk's face, he tried to explain that Serra thought he was a woman. By now Erk was just creeped out, and he left hurriedly.

Meanwhile, on the _Davros_, Matthew was the sole uncaptured person remaining. He planned to pick the mutineers off one by one, and he reflected on the irony of the situation. During this time, two of the mutineers were slain on one of Flaefir's whims. The Swordmaster lectured his crew, before placing a large bounty on Matthew's life. Matthew attempted to sneak away, and had a close call with the mutineer captain; were it not for the Dread Isle's typical fog, Matthew would have died.

Rebecca finally 'came to her senses' and ditched Sain after he accidentally let a perverted comment slip. Looking for an outlet for his frustration, Sain attacked the nearest mercenary, not realising it was Raven.

Raven defeated Sain, and was about to willingly slay himwhen Rebecca showed up, with news that Eliwood, Lyn and Hector had located Uhai and had called for reinforcements.

X eventually came to in the depths of the Dragon's Gate, to stare into a levitating fireball. It was Ephidel, using the magical fire as a light source. X recalled how he got in his position- he was hit by an Elfire spell, which sent him into unconsciousness. (Just in case you guys and girls couldn't remember either.) The assassin attempted to provoke the morph; in retrospect, not the smartest move, but it had a hidden bonus. Ephidel surprisingly began to rant, and his yearning to be truly human was revealed.

Nergal's henchman then left Jaffar to what he did best, lighting a small torch. The Angel of Death obliged.

Florina was being wingman- sorry. Florina was being wing_person_ to Fiora, when the youngest of the two fell asleep in the saddle. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she had another premonition, this one featuring Uhai.

Serra: And for once, you changed the opening description of the dream.

IceBlade28: Oh sue me.

Anyway, Uhai killed her, as always, though this time Florina felt a different kind of pain. Not the typical dream-induced pain through the lava, but pain in her actual body, outside the dreamworld. Then came the section where Florina glimpsed the future. An arrow would shoot out of the trees, killing Fiora's Pegasus. Fiora would later die in the fall, unless something could be done. During this time, the pain in Florina's chest was increasing. Meanwhile, Fiora had noticed her sleeping sister, and had ridden back to wake her up. Florina did wake up, and jerked on Fiora's reigns. Her sister did an awkward and dangerous manouevre, but the arrow did miss.

By now Fiora's suspicion was flaring. Florina was displaying some unusual knowledge and behaviour. First the death of Fiora's sub-commander, Hanasu, and now the arrow?

Florina by now felt extremely tired, and the heart pains came rushing back. The pain became so great that she blacked out and slipped out of the shadow, falling through a cloud and was lost to sight.

Next, Erk defeated a monk with pathetic ease, tying him up and leaving him for the Lord's to be discovered. Priscilla was lost and alone, calling for Erk. The two met with a large bush in between, and accidentally held hands. Erk let go hurriedly and looked away, embarrassed. Priscilla just smiled sweetly. After delivering his given orders, Erk left. Priscilla ran after him, trying to get him to wait.

The mage was forced to admit that loving her would jeopardise his duty to protect her, and in doing so, put her in danger too. Erk walked ahead, and Priscilla stayed silent, though they both had tears in their eyes.

Hector and the Lord's embarked in a vicious battle with Uhai. Hector was shot twice with arrows from a Steel bow, and only his thick armour saved his life. During this time, Lyn was charging towards the Nomad Trooper and tackled him neatly off of his horse. As they were in the air, Kent launched a javelin and it plunged deep into Uhai's side. He went rolling, and Lyn landed hard, cracking one or more of her ribs. In retaliation to the javelin, Uhai threw a curved dagger at Kent. It struck him high on the shoulder and brought the cavalier to the ground.

Lyn, in anger, unsheathed her Mani Katti and carved a deep gash across Uhai's chest. While not fatal, it bled heavily and brought him to his knees, gasping and coughing blood. In a final move, he grabbed a double-bladed knife and stabbed it into Lyn's thigh. Lyn buckled, and Eliwood arrived to save her life. The Pheraen didn't waste time, and stabbed Uhai straight through the chest with his razor-edged Rapier.

In his dying moments, Uhai revealed the path to the Dragon's Gate.

At the end of the chapter, Florina reflected on her own mortality, and on the physical toll the premonitions seemed to take on her body. She wondered whether it was possible to die from her dreams, when she caught bearing of her surroundings. The annoying fog was drifting in, and she was hopelessly lost in a dark and shady forest, when a wolf's howl split the night.

IceBlade28: And the summary of last chapter is done! Finally!

Serra: Well, at least you did it.

IceBlade28: Yeah, yeah. Actually, I had quite a decision to make. I wasn't sure whether to go on the side quest, or to go straight to the part where Eliwood etc. fight Lord Darin. I decided to do the side quest.

Serra: And this chapter had better have me in it a whole lot more than the last one!

IceBlade28: Maybe.

Serra: Maybe! Ooh, you know how to get someone angry at you!

IceBlade28: It happens a lot more than you'd think.

Serra: Really?

Iceblade28: Maybe.

Serra: You're so mean to me.

IceBlade28: True. Anyway, in your reviews, I _need_ you to state whether to go onto 17xx/19xx or just to do this one part of side quest. It is vital you say whether to do the second part of the side quest. Just because I want to know how much I need to do.

Serra: Slacker.

Iceblade28: Yeah, sue me some more.

Serra: Are we starting the fic yet?

IceBlade28: BTW, someone will _die_ in this chapter. Maybe more than one person.

Serra: It had better not be me! Is it?

IceBlade28: Maybe.

Serra: What! It had better not be-

**Chapter XI: The Path Of The One Is Made By Many**

"Well, Lyn, it's a good thing you have a healer of my expertise to make you better, huh?" Serra chirped. Lyn rolled her eyes. Her ribs had been cracked, her leg had almost permanently been injured . . . she'd definitely been in better shape, that much was true. Lyn had been in the tent for what seemed like forever with a self-obsessed, loud-mouthed cleric with a Heal staff. In reality, it had only been a few hours, and night had already fallen.

Heck, in Lyn's opinion, _any_ time with Serra seemed like an eternity. Many others in the army shared her unspoken belief.

"So, does your leg hurt any more?" the cleric asked smugly. Lyn flexed the muscle, and bent it slightly. The pain came flooding back, and Lyn gasped before flopping back onto the bed.

"I don't understand." Serra pouted. "My staff and my _professional_ skills should have healed it. I even gave you my whole stock of pain-killing medicine; the ointment I made myself! It doesn't make any sense, and I don't like it when things don't make sense!" she squealed. Lyn winced. It was bad enough that Uhai's dagger had screwed up her leg, but her cracked ribs hadn't been healed yet either. And Serra's voice was at the exact level to annoy a dog, much less a human.

"Anyway, let's move on. You're ribs are cracked?" Lyn nodded, staring up at the tent roof. Serra placed her usual Heal staff in the holding rack and took out a much more ornate Mend stave.

"I just learned how to use this. Aren't you lucky?" she said. Lyn groaned softly; torture was preferrable to this. At least Serra wasn't using her infamous home-cooked medicines . . .

"Actually, I have another little remedy that should take away some of your pain. I made it myself; tested it on Sain when he had a sprained ankle." she said devilishly. Another excuse to try out home-made medicine.

"Serra, just fix my ribs. Don't give me any more medicine, just use the blasted staff!" Lyn said grumpily. She had been lying down in the healer's tent for a good couple of hours, listening to this pink-haired she-devil prattle on. All Lyn wanted was to get her ribs and leg mended and get out of there.

"Well, you don't have to shout!" Serra pouted. "Take your robe off." Lyn did a double-take. "Take _what_!" The cleric sighed irritably.

"If you don't take off your robe, I can't get directly to the wound to heal it! Honestly, Lady Lyn- I thought you knew that already!" Serra barked. Lyn sighed in resignation, and removed her Sacaen garb, careful not to let the tough material brush against her wound.

"C'mon, Lady Lyn! Hurry up!" Serra whined. "It's not like you have anything I haven't got!" she quipped cheekily. Lyn looked at her healer, shocked. Serra winked and grinned.

"So, are you going to finish taking your clothes off, or should I?" Serra said loudly. Lyn shot the rambunctious cleric a look of loathing, before pulling her ponytail through the collar and tossing her robe aside. The cleric raised an eyebrow at Lyn, clad only in her lingerie.

"Wow, Lyn." Serra said, stuck for words. Her former employer was certainly an eye-catcher. There was definitely muscles under the soft skin, and her curves were accentuated by the bright sheen of the white bedsheets.

_Lyn is almost as pretty as I am_, Serra thought. _Almost_. Her skin was tanned from growing up in the plains, except for the spot where her ribs had cracked.

"I can see why Sain hangs around you." Serra commented. Lyn rolled her eyes at Serra, who's sapphire-blue eyes were travelling up and down her body.

"Fine, you got me in my underwear. Hurry up and do your job." she said. Serra smiled again.

"I dunno, Lyn. I got the feeling you enjoyed being in your underwear with me." she said impudently. There were no words with the look Serra got; there did not need to be.

"Do your job . . . now . . ." Lyn snarled. She was sore, exhausted, hungry, and testy. She did not need a blabbermouth poking fun at her condition. Lyn wanted to be healed, and to get out of the infernal tent. Now.

Serra waved the Mend staff slowly over the injury, watching carefully in case something didn't heal the right way. All Lyn felt was a soft, smooth feeling that spread from the point of contact to the tips of her fingers. It felt wonderful. Eventually, the feeling subsided, along with the magic glow that lit up the tent.

"Okay, you should be fine to go. Just take it easy for a few days, Lady Lyn." Serra said respectfully. The Sacaen woman nodded, struggling up to her knees.

"Let me help you! You shouldn't strain yourself!" the cleric said, rushing to Lyn's side. The Sacaen woman waved her away angrily, only to lose her balance and land hard on the tent floor, sending waves of pain through her leg and through her side.

"Lyn!" Serra said, biting her lip. Although, to be truthful, she was more worried about how badly she would be punished than her previous employer's condition-

When the tent flap was pushed open, and a cavalier entered.

"Excuse me, Lady Serra." Kent said, shutting the tent flap after him. "I know you're busy with Lady Lyndis, but I was wondering where the spare vulneraries are kept? There are a number of minor wounds on several of our members which need to be healed, and-"

It was then that Kent caught sight of his employer. Lyn was hitched up on her elbows, lying on the tent floor. Her teal-coloured ponytail was half-over her shoulder, divided in two. The hair on the front draped thankfully over Lyn's bust, but there she was still embarrassingly exposed.

Kent's eyes flickered over Lyn in her underwear before he turned hurriedly away, blushing furiously. Lyn gave a small cry and hurriedly covered herself up with her Sacaen robe, also blushing.

"U-Um, Lady Lyndis, forgive me . . ." Kent mumbled. "I wasn't aware, and I . . ." In front of him, his hands fumbled with the zip for the tent front. "I-I'm so sorry, Milady . . . It was an accident . . . I didn't mean-"

Struggling painfully upright, Lyn smiled at the stammering cavalier, who was still mumbling apologies and fiddling with the tent zip. Serra handed Lyn's robe to her, and smiled sweetly. Lyn hurriedly put it on, redoing the clasps on the back.

Kent was still trying to open the darned zip when he felt a calming hand on his shoulder. He turned awkwardly around to see Lyn standing behind him, smiling gently.

"It doesn't matter." she whispered. "But . . ." Kent bit his lip, looking down at his employer. Lyn kept smiling, and took his hand and placed it on her chest. Kent winced slightly, his eyes panicking.

"My heart beats for you, and only you." Lyn said, in a barely audible voice. Kent flushed red again, and Lyn allowed him to remove his hand. She grinned suddenly, and Kent was forcibly reminded of Serra, who was standing behind them, no doubt trying to memorise every detail for gossip.

"Besides," Lyn said, barely able to keep laughter from her voice. "This way, you can tell Sain you've seen me in my underclothes. Or at least something of the sort." Kent's eyebrows shot up.

"Feel free to hold it over him. He's been trying to see me changing for months." she said, adding a sisterly wink. The cavalier was still trying to find the blasted tent zipper behind his back. Finally, he got hold of the thing and gave it an experimental tug. The tent flap opened smoothly.

"Milady, I'm not sure if that's proper . . ." he said awkwardly.

"He deserves it." Lyn said firmly, pushing past the cavalier and exiting the tent. To Kent's dismay, the Sacaen took a few wobbly steps before her leg collapsed from underneath her.

"Milady Lyndis!" Kent cried, rushing to her aid. He picked her up in one quick movement, and Lyn placed her arms around his neck for support.

"Kent, I can walk! Put me down!" Lyn said in a mock angry voice. Kent shook his head, his mind a complete blur.

"Lady Lyndis, I don't know what was going on in there, but you are barely fit to stand, let alone walk to your tent or fight." he said. His attitude was completely business-like, and Lyn put forth a pouting lip.

"Kent, if we're going to date, you need to stop being so business like!" she complained. Kent looked at her funnily. His liege was acting completely out of character. He would have to talk to Serra about this as soon as he dropped Lyn off at her tent.

"Besides, I know you enjoyed seeing me like that." she teased. "When we get to my tent, I could go a little further . . ." she said dreamily. Kent gave his liege a shocked look. What in Elimine's name was going on! Kent broke into a run. The sooner he got his Lady to her tent, the better. Hopefully Lyn would go straight to sleep. If she followed him . . . well, the way the cavalier was feeling, knocking her out and tying her to the bed didn't exactly sound uncharitable.

Kent opened the zipper quickly, ran inside and gently lay Lyn down on the bed.

"Please, just go to sleep." he begged her. Lyn was, however, already out cold. Kent sighed with relief, closing the flap to the tent. This whole mess would be sorted out in the morning.

"Goodnight, Lady Lyndis." Kent whispered, before zipping the tent shut and breaking into a sprint back to the camp.

Meanwhile, Serra was fiddling with the gemstone in her hair and trying to figure out how to pass on the gossip without having it become a major subject of debate. Her fingers ran over the stone's surface, and she frowned. There was a small irregularity, like a bit of the stone had been chipped away. The cleric pouted. If a chunk of the jade stone was missing, it would make selling it much harder.

-----

Matthew placed a hand on his dagger, leaning against the curved wall of the crow's nest. In his other hand, he was turning and admiring the dagger he had found up there. It was X's, from when he had used this oversized wooden bowl as a hide-out. Matthew really was taking after X in this mission.

_And why shouldn't I?_ he thought. _After all, I've got a good role model to follow . . . but what are his intentions? He's had the chance to kill about five people, six including the late Tactician, but he's only actually killed Kaira . . . although, he probably meant to kill Guy when we were in Caelin. What is he trying to do?_

Matthew turned the dagger around, examining the hilt. It was curved slightly, and dark green. A small gem was set into the bottom of the hilt, camouflaged by the dark colour of the hilt. Matthew squinted at the gem, trying to catch it in the light.

It was jade. A tiny sliver of a jade stone. Two slivers, on closer examination. They crossed over, and formed a tiny 'X'.

Matthew shrugged, and sheathed the dagger. At least he had a better weapon than the tiny stiletto blade tucked away in his shirt.

The thief rose to his knees and peered over the rim of the crow's nest. It was now completely night, and the fog had seeped in from the Dread Isle for the second time. However, a thin light shone through the fog beneath.

_Flaefir's cabin_, Matthew thought. _Or the place where Dart and Fargus are being held. Possibly both._

Matthew crept down the rope ladder as quietly as he could, slipping through the fog and touching briefly down on deck. Both the sentries were at the bowsprit of the ship, whereas Matthew and (hopefully) Dart and Fargus were at the stern, near the cabins and the helm.

The Ostian disappeared into the mist. He was a spy. He had skills, and it was time to use them. All of them.

-----

Fiora was drifting around in the sky, her face etched with worry and anxiety. She pulled the reigns left, then right, then left again. Her Pegasus snorted crossly; he could tell his rider didn't know which way to go. Fiora bit her lip and tried to smile, reaching down to pat her Pegasus.

"There, there. I know I'm being frustrating." Fiora whispered fondly. She rubbed his mane a bit, but it couldn't remove the feeling of abject failure. An unwanted tear dropped from her eye and was lost in the wind from her mount's wings. She had failed so badly. Hanasu, her entire Squadron, and now her youngest sister. They were all gone.

_But Florina might not be dead!_ shouted her hopeful side. Fiora was surprised that she still _had_ a hopeful side.

Do you really think I'll find Florina in a forest this big, with thick fog! I've failed . . .

_If you keep thinking like that, you truly _will_ have failed. Your sister has not been condemned to death, Fiora! Find her!_

I'll get help first.

_Fine._

Fiora yanked hard on the reigns and flew quickly back to camp. Lady Lyndis would be sympathetic; Florina was one of Lyn's best friends.

And if no-one helped her, then Fiora would go alone.

-----

Away from the main group of soldiers was a mercenary. He was sharpening his sword with a whetstone, his face blank. The identity of this man was revealed only to those who knew him, as his face was lit up by the brief cascades of sparks that cut through the night. He had made his own fire, but he sat away from it, his face shrouded in darkness.

Rebecca walked slowly towards the mercenary, trying to figure out her words. True, she hadn't been very nice to Raven lately . . . but the last time had been an accident! And she had been angry, and hurt, and she hadn't meant half the things she said!

The Pheraen paused as she recalled his words to her in their last meeting.

"_There is a reason . . ." he said hesitantly, as though the words were newly learnt. " . . . why . . . I'm this way. But such things are not to be discussed on the battlefield. The Lord's require us. We must go." _

Rebecca remembered how he had reacted when she tried to show him the sunset from the _Davros_ . . . he had said something about his parents.

The green-haired girl shook her head. It didn't matter. Rebecca wanted to be friends with him . . or maybe more than friends. It wasn't like he was bad-looking, after all. But he could be so cold. Rebecca crept slowly up behind the mercenary, who was still sharpening his sword.

"I don't want to talk now, Rebecca." Raven said simply. The archeress froze. How on earth did he know she was there? She had used all of her skill; not even a rabbit would have sensed her.

"If you're wondering how I knew you were there . . ." Raven smirked, admiring the shiny sword. "I could see you in the reflection of my sword. And you transferred the weight to your right foot when you went to step over something; it puts you off balance. You stood on a leaf."

Rebecca sighed quietly, and walked over to Raven, sitting on a log. The mercenary didn't move, but continued to sharpen his broadsword.

"Are you just going to sit there, or did you come for a reason?" he asked quietly. Rebecca looked at him sadly. Raven slowed his sharpening, finally pocketing the whetstone and staring back at the girl.

"Rebecca, are you okay?" he asked suddenly. "Why are you-" Raven paused, as he saw a glistening tear slip down her cheek. Rebecca was hating herself. She was going to pieces already, and she hadn't said a word!

"I didn't mean any of the things I said!" she sobbed. "I was hurt, and . . ." Raven felt completely out of place. He hadn't asked for this girl to come to him and start crying; even worse was that it was his fault. Awkwardly, he knelt next to Rebecca and gave her a pat on the back.

He didn't expect her to lean forward and hold him tight, crying into his shoulder. He stiffened, and gave her another hesitant pat on the back.

"You're freezing." Rebecca said suddenly, pulling away from him. "Aren't you cold?" Raven looked down.

"Not really. I don't notice it." he said quietly. Rebecca was staring at him oddly again. Raven was getting perturbed. He wasn't used to all this; love, friendship, other's sorrow. The only pain he could relate to was his own, and occasionally his sister Priscilla's.

"Back when we met, in the battle . . . you said something to me." Rebecca mentioned quietly. "You told me there was a reason why you were . . . why you were so heartless." Raven looked up sharply.

"You don't get tired of calling me names, do you?" he asked her. Rebecca shook her head hard.

"No! Raven! I don't mean to do it! It's-" Raven had lost all patience.

"Then what is it!" he thundered. "You like me, you hate me, you come crying to me, you insult me, can't you make up your mind!" he shouted. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to ignore Rebecca stifled sobs.

"I'm trying . . ." he whispered. The archeress looked up. Raven didn't meet her gaze, instead staring at the ground.

"Ever since . . . ever since my parents died, I've just learnt to shut things out. Back then, emotions were just things that got in the way. They made the pain worse, and so I stopped using them." The Pheraen was listening intently, the firelight flickering over the tracks that the tears had made.

"Since I met you, I've tried to bring back my emotions, but keep the pain sealed away." Raven explained. "It's been hard . . . I want things that never I should have wanted, but . . . I . . ." Rebecca smiled sadly.

"Raven, I really like you." she said. "I want to help you . . ." Raven shook his head, his auburn hair flying around.

"Rebecca. Don't say that, please." Raven pleaded. "Please, don't say you love me." Rebecca looked at the man she cared for, and her heart froze.

"Why?"

"Because . . ." Raven lowered his head. This was one of the hardest things he would have to say.

"Rebecca, you're still a child . . . and I don't know if I can love you back." he murmured. Immediately, he hated himself for it. Doubtless he had broken her heart, and wasted the one chance he had of finding love himself.

Rebecca stared at him, and Raven could see the hurt in her eyes.

"Rebecca, it hurts me to say this as much as it hurts-" Raven began, but Rebecca had already fled, weeping, away from the fire.

Raven hung his head in shame, and went back to the mindless chore of sharpening his sword. The words of his friend Lucius echoed in his head, around and around.

_Raven, take care not to make women weep, for Elimine counts their tears_.

-----

Florina bit her lip, pulling herself painfully upright. The grove of trees was brighter than when she had first gone to sleep, but the pangs from her chest had woken her up. Surprisingly, she hadn't had another premonition, a fact which the young girl relished. Florina hated those dreams.

The Pegasus Knight looked around her, scared. There was only tall, foreboding trees, which cast strange shadows on the ground and played tricks with her mind. Florina winced, and her breath came in short gasps. Her chest really hurt; could those dreams be having an affect on her health?

The Ilian took a deep, unsteady breath. _Be calm, Florina. Those dreams you have can predict the future. But this time, _you changed what happened_. If they're powerful enough to do that, maybe you can use them to get you back to camp_.

But . . . what if they don't?

_If they don't, then you're still stuck here. But what have you got to lose?_

What if my heart . . . what if the pain comes back? What if this time it gets worse?

_Worse than last time? Well . . . are you willing to take the chance?_

Florina's thoughts were sent flying when a wolf's howl split the night. The young girl stiffened, looking around her with large, frightened eyes. There was no sign of wolves, and she breathed a shaky sigh of relief.

Until a twig snapped.

Florina's gaze shot over to the source of the sound, her heart racing. There, poking slightly through the thick bush, was the scruffy fur of a wolf's head. The head was attached to a body, which slowly trotted out into the clearing.

Florina was standing completely motionless, trying not to cry. The wolf loped slowly out into the clearing, sniffing things and pawing the dirt. The Ilian was trembling, but trying to stay still. Not that it was working.

The wolf walked slowly closer to Florina, who was visibly shaking. The young girl thought she might pass out soon, but she didn't dare; she would be completely at the mercy of a vicious wolf. Bright lights exploded in Florina's vision, despite the dim light.

The wolf moved even closer to the Pegasus Knight, and it was now so close that Florina, or at least a much, much braver version of Florina could reach out with no difficulty and pat it.

The wolf finally noticed Florina, and trotted happily over to see what this new creature was. It was tall, and it was lavender and white, and it was shaking. The wolf sniffed it curiously.

Florina just lost it. Her vision swam, and her breath came in short gasps. In a matter of seconds, she would faint. The wolf looked at her curiously, before rubbing it's whiskers happily against her leg and trotting away.

The Pegasus Knight fainted on the spot.

Within her mind, the usual dream sequence played out. The mountain hall was massive, with small jets of fire spurting from the ground and bright pools of magma seething and churning.

Florina twirled her Slim lance experimentally, then held it tight. _We'll see about anyone who tries to get me_, she said in her mind. It sounded a lot braver than she felt. Although, each dream ended only when she fell into the lava, so maybe . . .

It was an awful lot to risk on such a wild theory.

Florina stared into the pool of liquid fire, shielding her eyes. If it could get her out of the dreams . . .

She took a deep breath and dropped into the fiery abyss.

-----

Fiora tied her Pegasus' reigns hurriedly to a post and ran through the camp, looking for one of the sole people she knew would be sympathetic to her plight: Lord Eliwood of Pherae. He was her commander, after all.

The Pegasus Knight skidded to a halt by a large group of men.

"Pardon me," she said breathlessly. "Could any of you-" She was interrupted, however, by a green-armoured cavalier, who ran a hand smoothly through his hair and quickly strode over to her.

Fiora looked at him in confusion.

"In all my days, I have never seen such a maiden!" Sain proclaimed boldly, holding her hand delicately. "Truly, my lady, you are beauty contained within a human form!"

Fiora withdrew her hand promptly, ignoring him. He was just a lovesick, hopeless cavalier. She looked at the remainder of the group: a cavalier with red hair and a stern expression at his friend's antics, an archer who was busy dressing a large wound that stretched the length of his arm, a myrmidon who was sheepishly retying his braid, and a green-eyed troubadour, who was looking at the Sacaen with a sorrowful look in her eye.

"Could any of you direct me to Lord Eliwood?" she asked, fighting down the panic. Her youngest sister was alone in the woods, for Elimine's sake! The red-armoured cavalier stood up.

"I apologise for my friend's antics." he said sourly. "You must be new, my lady. My name is Kent; I'm not under Lord Eliwood's rule, but I know where he is." Fiora looked at the man with gratitude. He gestured to follow him, and began walking away from the fire. The Ilian followed him quickly.

"My thanks, Sir Kent." Fiora said. "Can you take me to him any faster? I'm afraid this is a matter of emergency." she added hesitantly. The cavalier looked at her strangely, and nodded.

"Tell me if I go too fast." he said, before breaking into a run. Fiora sprinted after him.

"I'm sorry if I'm forward, but can you tell me what the emergency is?" Kent asked calmly. Fiora gave him a strange look. He must be fit indeed if he could run at this pace and still talk as though nothing was happening.

"I-In a second," she gasped, skidding to a halt in front of a large tent. Kent knocked on the canvas; it somehow made a wooden sound.

"Come in." sounded a voice from inside. Kent ducked through the flap, closely followed by Fiora. The curious girl looked back at the flap to see a block of wood hanging from the zip.

_Must be so you can be heard when you knock_, she thought absentmindedly. Eliwood looked up from the table, which was covered with maps and small figures.

"Ah, you're one of Lyndis' men . . . Kent, correct?" asked Eliwood. He turned to Fiora, who was busy bowing. The young Lord put up his hand, wincing.

"That- That's not necessary. You don't need to bow to me; I consider every man and woman my equal." he said magnanimously. "So you're the young lady who joined during the battle? Fiora, right?" Eliwood said, frowning. Kent's ears perked up. Fiora? The name sounded familiar. Perhaps Florina had mentioned it at some point . . . or perhaps it was the name of a woman that Sain had mentioned sleeping with at some point. He couldn't remember.

"That's right, my Lord Eliwood." Fiora said, fidgeting. Staying cool under pressure was one of her best traits, but with Florina missing . . . it was extremely hard.

"Lord Eliwood, I beg your help." she blurted. Eliwood looked back up from his maps.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned. Fiora turned her full attention to the blue-eyed boy in front of her.

"My Lord, during my expedition to the isle of Valor, I noticed my sister, Florina, had joined your army, and that you were engaged in comabt against the men I was trying to find and defeat. I was convinced to join your army, as you know." Eliwood nodded; that was a good sign. Fiora was already fighting back tears.

"My Lord, during the combat, my sister suffered some sort of chest pain, and she fell unconscious. She . . . she fell of her Pegasus, and I lost her in the clouds. She never returned to camp." Fiora said, her voice breaking. "I know she's still alive, but . . . I can't know for sure . . ." The Ilian wiped away the tears threatening to overflow from her eyes.

Kent was stunned. Florina was one of his friends. Sure, they'd never gotten along very well; Florina didn't get along with _any_ male very well, that he knew of. But still . . .

Eliwood bit his lip. He didn't want to tell Fiora his decision; he _wanted_ to help Florina, he really did! But he couldn't.

"Fiora, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. The battle today was trying, and many people are still injured. I just can't spare anyone." Fiora looked at the youth in shock.

"Lord Eliwood, please! If you do not help, you are as good as condemning her to death!" she shouted. Eliwood hung his head, his face pained.

"I'm sorry . . ." he said quietly. Fiora looked at him with disappointment and anger. Immediately, she turned to leave.

"Fiora, wait a second." Eliwood said, scribbling furiously on a spare piece of parchment. After a minute, he handed it to her.

"Show this to anyone who isn't severely injured." he said. "They'll help. Marcus should go, along with his protegé Lowen, and possibly Oswin, though I don't really have any power over him." Fiora looked at the youth again.

"Thank you." she said simply. Eliwood smiled slightly; the Pegasus Knight turned and ran.

Eliwood yawned hard, and followed them just outside of the tent. The Pheraen gazed at the mountains, rubbing his eyes.

_That can't be right_, he thought. _It can't be dawn already!_ But it was true; shafts of pink and aureate were sliding over the horizon, casting a rather nice glow on their little campsite.

The Lord yawned hard and psyched himself up for the chore of waking the army. Eliwood smiled slightly. At least waking Serra up would be Hector's responsibilty.

-----

Hector shouldered his mighty Wolf Beil, looking around the camp. All over, people were slowly emerging from their tents, yawning and rubbing their eyes. Hector mentally checked off everyone under his command- although, that was only really Oswin, since Matthew was still on board the _Davros_. No Serra.

Hector didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse.

The Ostian stomped towards the tent. Doubtless there was another massive battle ahead, and no-one would be missing out. Especially not Serra.

What with the tactician's death and all, they're battle tactics had changed somewhat. The tactician somehow had this incredible ability to predict which kind of units the enemy would use, and picked about half their army force. At first Hector had been extremely suspicious about this kind of fighting, but the tactician's style had gotten them out of quite a few sticky situations. Now, however, their army just charged in, all 'guns' blazing, and killed everything in sight. It was extremely risky, as the last battle had proved. Any staff user would have their work cut out for them.

Hector sighed. He enjoyed this kind of fighting, but it wouldn't be long before someone died. Possibly several someones.

If only he knew how right he would be.

Hector barged into the tent, throwing the flap wide open to shine light on Serra. The cleric, covered in pink sheets, groaned quietly and buried her face into a fluffy pink pillow. The Lord didn't know how she could stand those pillows.

"Serra, get up." Hector said. "We're moving out." The cleric didn't move, hoping Hector would just go away if she pretended she was asleep.

Hector shut the tent flap, gritting his teeth. Maybe this would wake her up . . . he went to the side of the tent and knelt down, feeling for the tent pegs.

Serra smiled under her sheets and snuggled back into her sheets. That was the solution to everything: just wait, pretend your asleep, and it goes away.

Hector smiled as he found the three tent pegs on one side of the tent, and pulled them out. He quickly pulled out every other tent peg that he could find.

Inside the tent, Serra frowned. The ceiling was sagging. She'd have to complain to Lord Hector about better a better tent for her to use. Maybe like _his_ tent! The Lord's always got the better tents, she thought jealously. Maybe if she used her regal beauty, Lord Hector would give her _his _tent to use!

The Ostian lordling smiled at the unsecured tent and gave it a slight push. It promptly collapsed, leaving a struggling Serra inside a collapsed tent.

_I left the flap open_, Hector thought dismissively. _It's not like she'll suffocate . . . but it should teach her a lesson._

Eliwood's voice came shotuing from the treeline.

"There's a valley- and the tree!" he shouted, running for Hector. The blue-haired boy looked at the Pheraen with concern.

"What?" he asked. Eliwood barely looked at him.

"The tree! The tree Uhai spoke of- I found it! Wake Lyndis, tell everyone to move it! We're almost at the Dragon's Gate!"

Hector nodded, and spread the word. In the short space of an hour, they had packed and entered the valley.

Except for Fiora, Kent, Lowen and Marcus- still searching for Florina, unaware that a mighty battle would erupt not more than a hundred metres from where they were standing.

-----

Matthew drew X's dagger quietly, creeping up behind a tough-looking myrmidon. This was one of the guards to the door of Flaefir's cabin, and hopefully the place where Fargus and Dart were being kept prisoner.

If they were still alive. If they were dead, the Ostian knew he'd be in serious trouble. He could _not_ defeat this army and sail the _Davros_ back to the Dread Isle on his lonesome.

Matthew inched his new dagger forward, his other hand readying the tiny stiletto blade. The spy tried to remember the biology lessons he'd had back in Ostia. If he wanted to hit the heart from behind, he needed to stab . . . there.

Matthew stuck the dagger deep into the myrmidon's back, his other hand shooting across his throat and cutting it deep with the stiletto. No sound was made.

The thief lowered the corpse to the ground, easing X's dagger out of it's back. Matthew wiped the blood on his red cloak, sheathing the dagger and removing a lockpick.

He paused. Was the door even locked?

Matthew turned the knob tentatively; the door swung open. The thief felt stupid, but he slipped inside, hiding in the shadows. He glanced swiftly around the room, before his gaze settled happily on a shape in the centre.

It was Dart! Bruised, beaten almost to a pulp, gagged and bound, but it was still Dart! Matthew crept over to the Pirate, his eyes looking right to left, right to left. He wouldn't put it past Flaefir to have placed a trap.

There appeared to be nothing, and so Matthew started to saw through the big man's ropes hurriedly, looking around.

"Dart! I've come to free-" The thief was cut off, however, by a fist crashing into his ribs, sweeping him aside and into a desk. X's dagger was thrown out of hid hands and into a corner, out of sight.

The Ostian looked up at his assailant. It was a Pirate; an ugly brute at that. But he was a large one, and muscles bulged from his arms.

"If'n I kills ye, Cap'n Flaefir'll gimme lotsa gold!" he jeered, moving in for the attack.

Dart struggled awake, peering through bleary eyes at the scene unfolding. Matthew dove to the left as the Pirate crashed down on the remains of Fargus' desk. He was weaponless, and by the way the thief was bent, hurt.

"Matthew!" Dart cried, struggling at his bonds. He looked down at the rope. It had been knotted tightly, but his young Ostian friend had obviously been sawing at them with a blade. They were half-cut, but would it be enough for Dart to break them? He pulled against them hard, watching small fibres break . . .

The thief grunted as his foe dived into him, knocking him back again and into a wall. Matthew looked up in pain, as the mutineer walked forwards and raised a spiked shoe above his head.

"Here's where I gets me pay!" he said triumphantly.

A pair of arms encircled the Pirate's neck, and Matthew winced as he heard the sound of a neck being broken.

The mutineer dropped to the ground, and Dart stood before him. His wrists had deep red welts where he had struggled agsint the thick ropes, but he was smiling as he helped a wheezing Matthew up.

The thief caught his breath and gave him a dirty look.

"It's about time!" Matthew said angrily. Dart just shook his head. A gleam of light caught Matthew's eye, and he strode over to pick up X's dagger. Dart, in the mean time, went to a chest near the remains of Fargus' desk and took out his two Steel axes.

"It's time I introduced these to Flaefir." he said, unable to keep the glee out of his voice. "How many mutineers left?" The spy had to think about it for a second.

"Six." he said, after a while. "Seven if you count Flaefir." Dart frowned.

"That's too many for us to handle." he said, twirling his axes angrily. "We'll have to free the Cap'n before we have a chance."

"I'm afraid you won't be freeing anyone." said a cold voice from the door. Matthew spun around to see Flaefir, along with the wiry archer and the other five of Flaefir's men. In his hands, Flaefir held his favourite Killing Edge.

"Take them." he said simply.

-----

Aion stood in the doorway of the fortress, reading one of his tomes absentmindedly. The worms would be here soon. In the confined quarters of the valley, his Thunder magic was devastating. They were bound to fall under his hand.

"Battle is a test," he mused. "And those with intelligence have a natural advantage." Whimsically, he snapped his fingers and sent a tiny bolt of electricity arcing through the air. It quickly targeted and fried a nearby dandelion.

Soon, a Knight came pounding up, breathing hard through his visor.

"Lord Aion, we have located the targets, and our closest scouts have engaged them in combat." he reported. Aion nodded confidently, gazing out over the landscape.

"Go. All units must attack them; leave no survivors." he commanded. The Knight saluted swiftly, and clanked back to his position.

Aion opened his best tome, with the title 'Bolting' inscribed on the leather cover in runic symbols. Time to have a little fun.

-----

Wil grunted as he sent a Steel arrow flying towards a Knight, praying for it to do _something_. The shaft punched through the armour, and Wil silently cheered. But while the Knight slowed, he did not stop coming. The Pheraen looked around desperately, hoping that there was someone skilled in close combat to intercept the Knight.

Wil fumbled with another arrow, trying to load it before the Knight reached him. Finally, he nocked the arrow and jerked up, before hesiating. The Knight had stopped, and was fiddling with his lance, raising it above his head.

Wil's eyes widened. That wasn't an Iron lance- that was a Javelin! The archer dived to the side, dropping his bow in his haste. The missile flew over his back, the wind ruffling his clothes.

The archer stood up, breathing a sigh of relief-

Before the head of a lance burst through his chest.

Wil blinked slowly, wavering on his feet. Behind him, the grinning Knight pulled the lance from out of his back, and Wil collapsed. No sound, no last goodbye's, no whispered plea's . . . nothing. He had been alive one minute and dead the next. The Knight smiled cruelly through his visor and left the archer to decay, striding for the next victim. A Hand Axe, thrown by Dorcas, fortunately cut short his rampage, and his life.

-----

Bartre roared with battle lust, his Iron axe banging against the thick armour of a Knight that was holding a powerful but cumbersome Steel lance in defense.

The Wild Axefighter was more than a bit perturbed that his 'mighty' axe was barely making a split in the armour. Bartre's foe attempted a weak thrust, but the weapon he carried was just too heavy. The Pheraen jumped to the side and gleefully cut through the wooden shaft in one mighty sweep. The Knight stumbled back, thrown off balance. Bartre crouched and picked up the razor tip of the lance, grinning like a loon at the plan he had formulated.

The Wild Axefighter leapt in the air and grabbed the brim of the Knight's breastplate, planting his feet against his chest to balance himself. With his spare hand, he shoved the lancehead through the visor gap, and almost out the other side. The Knight fell backwards, and Bartre 'rode' him all the way to the ground.

Dorcas looked at his friend with apprehension. Bartre only laughed and beckoned.

"Dorcas! Come! There are more of the foe- if you want your share, you'd better hurry! For I am Bartre the Brave, fiercest axefighter Elibe has ever known!" he roared. Dorcas only shook his head and ran after the laughing man, confirming to himself that Bartre's sanity was no longer in question, simply because he had no sanity _to_ question.

High on the hill, Dorcas' keen eyes spotted a Sage, standing in a portcullis. The sky overhead grew dark, and bolts of lightning coursed around Dorcas, forming a large, crackling circle.

The Fighter was trapped, and he looked to the sky for the killing stroke he knew he could not escape.

It came, and knocked Dorcas flat, scorching his flesh and driving him deep into the ground.

The Fighter coughed soot, and stared at the rapidly-clearing sky. He could feel his life slipping away, and a hot tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

"Natalie," he whispered. "I will not see you . . . again . . ."

And he breathed his last, with the tear exposing a tiny streak of skin as it slipped down his cheek and dropped into the dirt.

-----

Florina was suspended in the blurry sphere, and she looked around with worry. This was always where the premonitions occured, but something was different. The sphere had _colour_. It was tinged with colour before, but this time it was shining brightly. And the colours seemed . . . violent. They were rushing around, and the wind was roaring in her ears again. The colours shone brighter, until the light encompassed Florina.

The Ilian bit her lip. She had screwed something up. She wasn't supposed to have jumped in the lava; and now she would pay the price.

Florina started to cry, and the colours seemed to go _through_ her. She was shaking hard, as the light forced it's way inside her and around her body, coursing through her veins where once flowed blood.

It didn't actually feel that bad, until the young girl looked at her hand. The veins were exposed, and pulsing with this new substance.

Florina screamed, and her heart seemed to speed up tenfold. The pain in her chest was coming back, and the light was shining through her open mouth with all the intensity and power of the sun.

The Pegasus Knight felt herself being changed, stretched, molded into something else. Almost as though she was becoming something _more_ . . .

And with a burst of light, she appeared on the battlefield.

-----

Guy held his Killing Edge in both hands, looking around him angrily. The tables had turned, and the line of Knights was being beaten back, mainly by Lord Hector and the cavaliers under various Houses' rules.

The wind increased suddenly, and Guy's braid was flapping about behind him. He looked up to see four Pegasus Knights swoop over the mountain range and dive towards him, their Steel lances held aloft.

Guy cursed, readying his sword. No way could he take on four Pegasus Knights! He prayed for help, watching them come. Their riders were now clearly visible, all females of course.

Suddenly, two of the Pegasi were shot down! They fell, whinnying, to the jagged rocky plateau below them. Arrows were sticking out of their belly's. A third one flew sharply to the side and kept flying, obvously intent on staying out of range of the archers.

That left only one, who had her eye on this green-haired myrmidon with a Killing Edge. Guy felt more confident, but still had to supress the feeling of fear tightening around his gut. Only one lance-user. He could take her. He could take her.

"Priscilla!" he shouted, hoping she could hear her. He would almost definitely need healing after this.

The rider swooped in to attack, her Steel lance thrusting hard at his head. The Sacaen ducked it narrowly, grabbing onto the shaft with his left hand. He had planned to pull the rider off her mount and finish her that way-

Not let the Pegasus take off!

The rider looked at him angrily, shaking her lance to try and get this annoying boy off. Guy held on tight, yelling. The rider growled, and Guy could see the look in her eye- she was going to drop the lance.

Panicked, the Sacaen stuck his sword into the chest of the mount. It died instantly, and they shot to the ground. His Killing Edge went flying, and landed in arms reach of Guy's landing point. The Sacaen rolled to a stop, but the rider was crushed under the body of her mount. In retrospect, not the nicest way to die.

Guy dusted himself off, when a bright burst of light caught his eye. He turned to the sphere of light, shielding his eyes. It finally faded, to reveal-

"Florina!" he said, dumbfounded. The young girl seemed dazed, and completely unaware that she had somehow teleported into a battlefield.

"Florina, move!" Guy shouted, running for her. The Ilian seemed to come to, and turned towards the source of the sound. It was that nice boy, Guy, the one she seemed to talk to.

He was running for her, unaware that the last remaining Pegasus Knight of the group was gaining on him, gliding down with a large Steel lance at the ready. Florina's eyes widened, and tears started to fall from her eyes. The Ilian did not move or say a word; Guy's fate had been decided.

_No! You still have time, warn him, do something!_ she screamed at herself.

But it's already too late . . .

_Is he dead right at this moment?_

Well, no . . .

_Then it's not too late! For Elimine's sake, _do something!

"Guy! Look out!" she shrieked at last.

The myrmidon glanced over his shoulder with worry. His blood ran cold; all he saw was white feathers and a flash of a pink uniform.

Then pain. The Pegasus halted in it's tracks and settled on the ground. Guy stared at his stomach, and at the lance that had been shoved through it.

Growling, the enemy rider pulled her lance out of Guy's stomach. The myrmidon shuddered, and looked at the rider with dread. He didn't want to die, please . . . please Elimine . . .

Guy lunged with his sword, a last attempt to kill her. The tip shot forward, aiming for her heart. The enemy rider screamed and jerked the lance up instinctively, hearing a sickening squelch.

The lance had gone through Guy's throat. His killer let go of the lance, a _scared_ expression on her face. The myrmidon fell to the ground.

Florina screamed, running for Guy's body. She didn't stop screaming either, she couldn't. She stopped when she reached him, trembling as the tears flowed fast and thick.

"I-I'm sorry . . ." the Pegasus rider said unconsciously. "I . . . I didn't mean . . ." Florina slowly picked up Guy's Killing Edge.

"You didn't _mean_ to?" Florina snarled. "You did it in cold blood!" she said, unable to keep the sorrow from her voice. The girl looked sincerely remorseful.

"I don't want to do this anymore . . ." she said quietly. "Please . . . can I join you?" Florina could scarcely believe her ears.

"J-Join us?" she choked, gripping Guy's sword tightly. "Join this!" Florina shrieked, using both hands to plunge the sword through her enemy's heart.

The cry soon came that victory had been achieved, that the castle had been seized, but Florina didn't believe them for an instant. To her, this day would never, ever be a victory.

Aaaaaand . . . I'm done! Finally! My longest chapter yet, and probably my saddest. I still couldn't get FE to run, so some people may still be OOC. Hopefully I can get it back on soon. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter- reviews are greatly appreciated!

Serra: At least this chapter had me in it!

IceBlade28: Yeah, it had you in it. I loved collapsing the tent on you. Heh heh heh.

Serra: I can't believe you did that- do you know how long it took me to get out of there?

IceBlade28: Uh . . . yes. I wrote it.

Serra: Well, this chapter had a lot more of me, so it's already a bestselling chapter!

IceBlade28: Yeah, yeah, it had you. And no Erk, surprisingly.

Serra: Hey, good point. You evil meanie! Why didn't you put Erky in this chapter!

IceBlade28: Evil meanie? Riiiiight. Okay then! Peoples, remember that more reviews means better chapters. If you want the chapters to be good quality, and updated constantly, you need to review.

Serra: All right, Taylor, that's enough! Sheesh! Let me tell them about next chapter!

IceBlade28: Well, you can't really . . . we need them to tell me _in their reviews_ whether or not to go on to part two of the side quest, or to go straight to the Dragon's Gate.

Serra: Oh yeah. R&R people!


	12. Chapter XII: The Dragon's Gate, part One

IceBlade28: Before I start the review of last chapter, I have some rather depressing news. I replaced the program necessary to run Fire Emblem, however . . . replacing the program was completely pointless since the virus had erased the game anyway. So-

Serra: What! Does that mean I cease to exist? sobbing.

IceBlade28: No, Serra, you're fine! You're still alive, aren't you?

Serra: Yeah, but-

IceBlade28: No buts. I'll be getting FE back on my computer ASAP, so until then-

Serra: You're not going to stop writing, are you!

IceBlade28: Will you let me finish! Until then, I _will_ continue to update, though the characters may become OOC at times. I'll have to rely on my surprisingly powerful memory- and to my readers, fear not. My memory's pretty darn strong.

Serra: I hope so. If I turn out like Priscilla . . . ooh, I'll make Lord Hector hurt you! He's completely smitten by my good looks and charm-

IceBlade28: Erm . . . right. Whatever you say.

Serra: What's that supposed to mean!

IceBlade28: Nothing. Just . . . nothing. Never mind. It doesn't matter- because it's a three-day-weekend! Woohoo! I'll see if I can get this up by the end! Three-day-weekend! Yeeha!

Serra: Um . . . what's a weekend?

IceBlade28: Oh. Right. awkward silence I'll just start the review of last chapter then.

So, in the last chapter- Lyn was acting _extremely_ strangely, and Kent is more than a little concerned. Matthew was hiding out on the _Davros_, examining the dagger X had left behind. It had two jade shards crossing over in the hilt. Fiora was flying over the forest on her Pegasus, trying to find her sister Florina, who had gotten lost within. Rebecca approached Raven, with an apology ready. The mercenary accepted it, but it wasn't long before Rebecca was crying.

IceBlade28: I do _not_ understand girl's feelings, including Rebecca's- and I'm the author! Sheesh.

Anyway, Raven admitted the truth about his own feelings, and that his emotions, or lack of, were due to his parents' death. It was then that Rebecca admitted she loved him, and even though Raven cared for her in return, she was still only a child. In short, it broke Rebecca's heart.

Florina came back to consciousness in the forest. She was injured, but not severely.

IceBlade28: Serra! Great news!

Serra: What?

IceBlade28: I found the game! It hadn't been erased, just moved!

Serra: Well, of course you did.

IceBlade28: Oro?

Serra: Well, with someone of my breathtaking beauty and grace next to you, it's no wonder that you found it! I _inspired_ you to find-

IceBlade28: Yeah, sure. Anyway . . .

Florina was in the forest, slightly injured but okay, just traumatised. Her heart had been going through a lot lately, and she was debating with herself as to whether or not Florina should try and use her strange power to transport herself back to camp. She was about to try when a wolf appeared out of nowhere, and the two had a _very_ close shave. Florina fainted, and her usual premonition/dream sequence played out. However, instead of waiting, the Ilian went and jumped straight into the lava.

Meanwhile, Fiora was trying to get anyone and everyone to help look for her younger sister. Kent obliged, and took her to see Eliwood. Unfortunately, due to the heavy wounds sustained from the fight with Uhai's troops, he was only able to spare a few men. Fiora thanked the young Lord and ran off, while Eliwood started to rouse the camp for the fight towards the Dragon's Gate.

Hector, in the meantime, was having a little trouble waking Serra up, so he decided simply to collapse the tent on her and leave her to her own antics. Eliwood came up to his long-time friend, announcing that they had the Dragon's Gate in their sights, and it was full steam ahead.

Matthew was doing his usual thing sneaking around on the _Davros_, but this time he was rewarded- he managed to discover Dart, held prisoner within Flaefir's cabin as his personal human punching bag. Matthew attempted to free the Pirate, but it wasn't long before the guard was awakened and a brief but one-sided fight occured. Matthew was about to be killed when Dart broke free of his bonds and swiftly broke the assailant's neck. Dart found his axes in a desk drawer, and Matthew gave him the report of his attacks on the mutineers, when Flaefir found them.

In the valley with the Dragon's Gate, Aion had positioned the troops, and he was attacking our heroes hard. The battle was long, but costly. Wil and Dorcas suffered the ultimate price, as did Guy. Florina somehow materialised onto the battlefield, and slew an enemy Peg. Knight. However, Guy had fallen, and she wasn't taking it well.

IceBlade28: Well, that about wraps it up for the review of last chapter.

Serra: And will this chapter have me in it?

IceBlade28: Probably. Maybe. You'll see.

Serra: You're so mean to me.

**Chapter Twelve: The Dragon's Gate, part One**

Priscilla watched through red eyes as Serra and a one-armed Lucius finished their rites for the dead. The latest battle had been extremely costly; many had sustained critical injuries, and three of their too-small force had fallen. Wil, Dorcas . . . and Guy. Guy had died in the fight towards the Dragon's Gate.

The troubadour turned away from the fresh grave. She felt so confused. She had loved Erk, she always had . . . but did she still? If so, why did Guy's death touch her so? Because he had saved her life?

_Maybe. _Priscilla thought. _Maybe it's because I couldn't repay the favour of a saved life._

_But did I love him?_

Love is a very powerful emotion, Priscilla. You have told yourself you love Erk. He is your escort; and you cannot keep things professional?

_Well, I never _tried_, exactly . . ._

And Guy is . . . was . . . a mercenary. You are of high-born descent. Do you really think it would have worked out?

_I suppose not. But are you telling me to bottle up my emotions? I cannot do such a thing._

No, I'm telling you to wait. Wait until the time is right.

_Very well._

A hand placed on Priscilla's shoulder broke her out of her stupor. She jerked, though turned around.

"I'm sorry, Lady Priscilla." said Erk. "He was only a mercenary, but . . . I know the two of you were friendly. I offer my deepest condolences." With a grave face, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

Priscilla sobbed into his shoulder, letting her grief and her confusion all flow out. She may be in love with Erk, but for now she was content to have his shoulder to cry on.

-----

Lyn shook her head sadly at the graves. She hadn't known the two of them very well, but they were under her command. Because of this, Lyn felt it was _her _fault they died. She had slept through the battle. If she had been there, fighting with her Mani Katti, perhaps she could have changed the course of the fight. Perhaps Wil and Dorcas wouldn't have died. Perhaps.

"We can't keep doing this." she mumbled. "We need another tactician, or at least someone who can stand in. If we go on like this, we'll all be slaughtered eventually."

Lyn fingered the hilt of her Mani Katti, still looking at the graves. She needed to take out some anger. But who to spar with?

The Sacaen attempted to look out over the rows of tents and chattering people, but her attention was caught by a large figure in a blue shirt with a large iron headband.

"Blast you, Dorcas!" he growled. "You couldn't have lived, could you!" Lyn opened her mouth in indignation. This man was shouting at the grave of one of _her_ soldiers!

"I wanted to finish our match, weakling!" Bartre bellowed. "You had to die, didn't you Dorcas! Toughest axeman alive, hah! How come I'm still standing, huh? _Huh!_ Blast you, Dorcas!" Lyn had had quite enough of this oaf defiling the resting place of one of her best soldiers.

"Excuse me," the woman said angrily, striding over. "Dorcas was one of my best soldiers. Now get away-"

"Not now, wench!" Bartre said, irritated. Lyn's eyes blazed, and she unsheathed the Sword of Spirits in one quick movement. The flash of steel caught Bartre's eye, and he grinned.

"Now, now, woman. I don't want to have to hurt you." he said, pulling out his axe slowly. Lyn barely batted an eye. She'd seen bigger axes in her day, and tougher foes.

"You're going to regret this." said Lyn, holding her Mani Katti tight. "I'm very serious when I spar. You might get hurt." Bartre puffed out his chest, and laughed.

"You must be joking! A mere woman, hurt Bartre the Brave?" he scoffed. Lyn had lost her patience. It was Bartre's bad fortune that he was stupid enough to provoke Lyn when she was angry, and now he was going to pay the price.

Lyn shouted and charged, her sword flashing. The axefighter swung his weapon, but Lyn blocked it and drove and elbow into Bartre's lungs. He collapsed, wheezing.

"Get up, Bartre!" Lyn shouted. "I thought a 'mere woman' was unable to touch you!" The axefighter got up, shaking his head.

"Time to end this, wench!" he growled, swinging his axe hard at her head. It stopped short, however, as two familiar voices sounded.

"Bartre! Cease your activity and return to me, now!" Eliwood shouted. Bartre looked at his retainer with contempt. Lyn's attention was on the other figure, a man in red armour rushing towards the pair.

"Lady Lyndis, what were you thinking!" Kent called. "I know it isn't my place to say such things, but surely, my Lady . . . why were you fighting?" Lyn shrugged, sheathing her Mani Katti.

"It's best discussed in private." she said simply, before turning from them all and walking down the hill. Bartre growled at her retreating form, but a glare from Eliwood silenced any taunt.

"Sir Kent, you wouldn't happen to know what's been going on lately, would you? Lyn seems to be acting strangely." Eliwood said, concerned. Kent watched her go, frowning.

"Well, Lord Eliwood, she has lost the tactician, and Lady Lyndis was very close with her. Add in the deaths of two of her soldiers, all in four days . . . she's gone through a lot of grief." Eliwood nodded, thinking.

"Sir Kent . . . we haven't seen much of our assassin friend lately, have we?" Kent frowned.

"No, Lord Eliwood. Actually, we haven't heard from him since the _Davros_. Perhaps he is still on board?" Eliwood frowned.

"Maybe, but I don't think so." His grip tightened on Bartre's shirt, who was attempting to see which way Lyn had gone. Frustrated, Eliwood whacked his bodyguard around the head. Bartre got the point and slumped, walking off towards the campfire.

"I don't think so." Eliwood said again. "He's attacked Lady Lyndis, he killed the Lady Tactician, he attacked Guy and Matthew . . . but at the same time, he saved the life of the young monk, Lucius." Kent nodded, thinking hard.

"If you'll pardon my bluntness, Lord Eliwood, what are you saying?" Eliwood smiled.

"No need to be so formal, Kent. Nevertheless, I feel this 'X' will continue to stalk the camp." he finished. Kent looked down, deep in thought.

"Lord Eliwood, I beg your leave." he said finally. The Pheraen nodded, and the Caelin knight walked off.

-----

X winced as he strained against his bonds. Two days of torturing hadn't exactly been the most fun point of his life, but at some point, his bonds had frayed and weakened.

"Nnh . . . c'mon, you stupid ropes, break . . . c'mon . . ." He twisted his wrists seperately, and the ropes cut cruel welts on his arms. But they were almost broken. X knew he couldn't survive another day of Jaffar. His body and his sanity wouldn't allow it. If he could just get free, X knew he would have a better chance. Better to die fighting than live in this torturous state. If he could die, that is. X wasn't exactly going to take his chances, especially after the arrow in Badon, but . . . he knew he wasn't exactly your run-of-the-mill soldier. He turned his attention back to the ropes, which were heavily frayed and weakened.

"Come on . . ." he pleaded, before jerking one more time. To his satisfaction, he heard the joyful sound of ropes snapping, and his wrists came free from behind his back. He bent awkwardly to undo the ropes securing his feet, his fingers numb and unresponsive. After an eternity of fiddling with cold, sore fingers X was free.

The assassin dropped low to the ground, his green cloak weighed down with dried blood. Footsteps sounded in the hallway ahead of him, and X winced. He could probably kill the person or people coming . . . unless it was Ephidel or Jaffar. But if he killed them, then what? He couldn't take on the entire of the Black Fang on his lonesome!

_Sheesh_, he thought to himself. _I've lived long enough, it's a wonder I can't come up with a plan!_

The two men entered into the chamber, chatting amiably, until they saw the torture rack empty.

"What? Where's the prisoner?" a myrmidon demanded.

"He can't have gone far! Sound the alarm!" cried his Soldier friend. X shook his head; there was no time left- he had to make his move.

X sprang from the shadows, jabbing hard at the windpipe of the myrmidon. He collapsed, wheezing. The Soldier thrust forward with his lance, but X dodged the blow and happily responded by breaking the man's neck. The assassin picked up the lance, though it didn't look like any lance he'd seen before. The length of the shaft was about half of what it sould've been, and the lancepoint had been replaced by a long and keen-edged blade, like that of a sabre. It was a weird mesh of lance and longsword, but it looked deadly enough.

"Weird lance." he muttered, turning at the sound of running footsteps behind him. The myrmidon had escaped! X cursed his bad luck. It was too late to stop him raising the alarm, because that Black Fang man was making one heck of a noise. Already X could hear the sound of approaching security platoons.

The assassin kicked over the bowl of oil that had been used to provide light in the dank chamber. The oil flared up, a blazing line of fire over the entrance. It served as a light source and a handy barrier.

But with the light came a sinking realisation. X's eyes hopped from wall to wall, but there was nothing but racks of torture equipment. This was a dead end chamber, and the only way out was the way he had sealed off.

Shouts were already coming from Soldiers that had encountered the fire barrier. Many were shouting to get water; it wouldn't be long before they broke through.

X twirled his newfound weapon (a/n: henceforth to be known as 'Kéye Li'ink') and waited.

-----

"Take them." Flaefir said. Matthew counted the men quickly. Seven, including Flaefir. This wasn't good. Five were dead, and seven were here, so . . .

Apparently Dart had come to the same conclusion.

"Oi, scum- if you're all here, who's at the helm?"

Flaefir froze, and looked back over the shoulders of his men. The helm was unmanned, and apparently they were in a monster of a current because the helm was spinning like crazy.

"Someone man the helm! We're being driven off course!" the Sacaen shouted. Several of the men scampered off, but the wiry archer stayed by Flaefir's shoulder. The Swordmaster slowly drew his Killing Edge, sizing up the two intruders.

"Sholga, keep watch. Slay the thief if he interferes with our fight. Otherwise, leave him be." The archer nodded, and loaded his Killer bow in a flash. A crash of thunder marked the scene, and rain began spilling in through the broken window.

"Well, Dart, it's pretty clear you've always wanted to fight me, you ape." he said, as the two circled each other. "So let's give you your chance."

"You won't leave this boat alive, lad! I'll carve you a new one!" Dart roared, before charging in to attack. Flaefir smiled devillishly and countered.

Matthew, in the meantime, was sidling over towards Sholga. He nudged the archer and grinned.

"I've got thirteen gold on the Pirate." he said, holding out the gold. Sholga raised an eyebrow, before smiling back.

"Twenty gold on Cap'n Flaefir." he replied, holding out his share. The thief smiled, and beneath his cloak he located X's dagger. Matthew wrapped his fingers around it and waited.

Dart swung both his axes in a scissor motion. Flaefir dropped low and tripped Dart, who fell to the floor. Had Dart's intended blow connected, it would've seperated Flaefir's head from his shoulders.

They both scrambled upright, wary for any more tricks. Once again, they began their wary circling of the room.

"No more of this blasted waiting! Your time has come! Dart, mine is the last face you will see!" Flaefir roared, before chopping straight for Dart's head. The Pirate brought his two Steel axes up in a cross shape and locked the blades.

Flaefir opened his mouth in shock and jerked on his sword. Dart grinned, allowing no purchase. The Swordmaster pulled hard on his sword, but their blades were locked tight.

So Flaefir gathered his strength and kicked Dart as hard as he could, right in the stomach.

Dart flew backward, crashing into Fargus' desk and totalling it. His Steel axes slipped from his grasp and he doubled over. A thin pool of vomit seeped onto the desk. Flaefir grinned, picking his Killing Edge up.

"Can you feel it, Dart?" he asked, his voice thick with hatred. "Closing in on you? The bitter stench of defeat; the knowledge that you cannot beat me, not in this life or in the life to come."

Dart held his axes tightly, still doubled over. Just a little closer . . .

"I really should thank you, after all . . . it was your stupidity, your blind ignorance that led me to take over the ship."

Matthew was watching the fight, panicking as Flaefir advanced on the obviously defenseless Dart. He could probably kill Flaefir in time, but there was no way he could prevent the archer from finishing them both. Unless . . .

Matthew buried his dagger into Sholga's back and ran out the door. Sholga screamed and dropped to the ground with a loud thump.

The archer's reaction stole Flaefir's attention . . . for just long enough.

"Sholga!" The Swordmaster cried. Dart grinned and swung his Steel axes with all the power he could muster . . .

And cleanly cut Flaefir's legs out from under him.

Dart staggered to his feet, grinning wickedly as Flaefir kept screaming. The Pirte wiped his axes on the leggings of Flaefir's severed half, relishing the screams of pain.

"Please, have mercy . . ." Flaefir begged. Dart looked at the Sacaen, and smiled.

"I'm not going to kill you, Flaefir. You will not die by my hand." Dart said finally, before walking to the door. The Swordmaster almost wept with joy.

"Thank you, Dart . . . you spared me, you won't kill me . . ." Dart sheathed his axes and held the handle of the door.

"You will never escape this room, you cad! Elimine can decide whether or not to kill you. I was never much of a believer in her anyway." Dart spat, before slamming the door.

From within Flaefir could hear the sound of a solid oak bar being jammed across the door.

Dart paused as his enemy began howling like a lunatic at the door. He smiled, and walked out onto the deck, to find-

Carnage. Bodies were strewn about everywhere, and the deck was slick with blood. Matthew hung on to a rope, high above the deck.

"Dart!" Matthew shouted, trying to be heard through the roaring wind. "Dart! It's . . . beserk . . . !" The Pirate cupped a hand to his ear.

"What!" he bellowed, but he was cut off by a huge hand wrapping itself around his throat. He lashed out, struggling, until he saw himself looking into a pair of eyes that seemed very familiar.

"Cap'n Fargus?"

-----

Florina was hiding in her tent, hugging her knees and crying quietly. Everything had been so hard. First Kaira had died, and then Guy, and the dreams, and the wolf in the forest . . . She buried her head and sobbed harder.

"Florina?" asked a voice. The young girl looked up.

"Oh . . Lyn. I-I mean, Lady Lyndis . . ." Lyn looked sympathetic.

"You're sister told me you were here." Florina attempted a smile, but it didn't quite make it to her face.

"I'm sorry . . ." the Ilian whispered. Lyn was confused.

"For what?"

"For always crying . . like this. I'm so much trouble . . ." Florina mumbled, before crying harder. Lyn smiled gently and put her arms around Florina.

"I know things have been rough . . . how are your dreams?" Lyn asked. Florina shivered inside, recalling the strange feeling she had in her last premonition.

"Um, they're . . . they're starting to hurt . . ." Lyn sat upright.

"Hurt? What do you mean?" Florina started to cry again.

"It hurts . . . my heart, it starts going faster, and it doesn't feel very nice . . . and they're getting worse." Lyn was worried sick, but she didn't let it show. She had to be strong for Florina. If these dreams could affect Florina's physical condition . . .

"Something happened to me in my last dream." Florina's voice was barely audible. "I . . . I didn't do everything I w-was meant to, and everything started to hurt . . ." More tears spilled from the young girl's eyes, and she curled closer to Lyn. Lyn frowned, and she was getting anxious. Florina felt really warm, like she was heating up . . . Lyn placed a hand on Florina's forehead and waited.

Florina froze, feeling strange. It was that strange feeling again, that feeling of warping and changing . . . with the fear bright in her eyes, she looked at her hand. The veins were protruding from her hand, and she could see that strange multicoloured light flowing within them. She screamed.

"Florina? What is it!" Lyn asked, with her hand still on her friend's forehead. It was heating up quickly, until-

"Ouch!" Lyn withdrew her hand quickly, shaking it off. Florina was trembling, and Lyn was looking around anxiously. What on earth was happening to her friend!

A flash of light caught her attention, and Lyn stood up quickly. Her clothing had caught fire!

The noblewoman yelled and beat at the flames, looking around her frantically.

"Lady Lyn!" Florina cried, before shoving her hands over the fire to hide it. Lyn tried to push Florina's hands away.

"Florina, no! You'll burn yourself!" she cried, but the fire had somehow been extinguished. Florina stood her ground, and was shaking hard. Lyn looked at the Pegasus Knight strangely, trying to make eye contact; Florina refused by looking at the floor.

"Lyn . . . what's happening to me?" she whispered. Lyn approached her friend, but Florina backed hurriedly away. Lyn looked crestfallen when Kent stuck his head inside the tent.

"Is everything alright? I heard shouting." he asked with concern. Lyn nodded.

"Everything's fine, Kent. Is something going on?" The cavalier nodded.

"We're moving into the Dragon's Gate; Eliwood refused to wait any longer to find his father." Kent explained. "Everyone's moving out, there's bound to be Black Fang between us and Marquess Pherae." Lyn nodded, following Kent out. Florina watched them go, before looking at her hands. How had this happened?

Then she felt cold, and placed a hand on her chest. Her eye's widened, then glazed over. There was no . . . she couldn't find . . .

Her heart stopped, and she fell to the floor lifeless.

-----

Hector and Oswin strode ahead, walking carefully through the hallways of the Dragon's Gate. Eliwood, Lyndis and the rest of the army followed behind, marvelling at the immensity of this structure. The hallways could have accompanied an army thrice their size. It as clearly not wrought by human hands.

"I have found the Dragon's Gate. Please, Father, be well . . ." Eliwood whispered. Ninian placed a comforting hand on his shoulder; Eliwood looked back at her and smiled warmly.

"Don't worry, my Lord Eliwood. We'll find your father, I promise." she said quietly, smiling. Eliwood sighed, looking at the chamber ahead.

"I hope so, Ninian. I hope so." he murmured.

The army wandered into a large chamber. It was filled with rooms . . . and Soldiers. Lyn quickly unsheathed her Mani Katti. She would not miss a battle this time. Around her, many people and Lord's unsheathed their weapons as well. But no-one moved.

"Well, well, well . . . it looks like an escaped bird has come back to her cage. How very appropriate." sounded a voice. Hector looked around, but he couldn't find the owner. Ninian started looking around her frantically, as though she just realised where she was.

"I shouldn't have come here . . ." she said. "No . . . I need to get out of here!" Eliwood looked at her.

"Ninian, what's wrong? There's no need to get agitated!" The dancer tried to run, but Eliwood caught her hand. Ninian was straining against it, trying to flee.

"No . . shouldn't have come! Let me go! I can't be here!" she screamed.

"She's getting worse." Hector remarked. Lyn hurried over.

"Ninian, what's wrong? Why can't you be here?" she asked.

"Because she is opposed to my master's wishes." came the voice again. In a blinding blash of light, Ephidel warped down, right in the middle of the army.

"This little bird has been allowed to escape her island cage once already. She'll not escape again." he said. "It was bad enough that Ostian slime Leila tried to escape, but not this little birdie-" Hector cut him off, gripping his Wolf Beil tightly in his gauntleted hands. On his face was an expression of pure rage.

"You scum! I'll tear you apart with my bare hands!" he roared, charging for the morph and swinging his axe dangerously.

Ephidel tutted once, before vanishing. Hector skidded to a stop, rubbing his eyes.

"So bright . . ." he mumbled, blinking at the lights in his eyes. Ephidel reappeared next to Ninian, his golden eyes glittering. The dancer screamed, but she froze when Ephidel placed a finger on her forehead. Ninian became trance-like, and swayed slowly on the spot.

"I finally have what I came for. Goodbye, and good luck making it past our guards." Ephidel said happily, before Warping out. Lyn lunged with her Mani Katti, but it struck only air.

"Blast . . . missed." she cursed. Eliwood closed his hand, as though not quite sure how to react.

"We must find my father. Ninian will be in the same place." he said finally. Lyndis turned to face him.

"How do you know?" Eliwood shrugged, unsheathing his Rapier.

"Just a hunch." he said, before turning at the sound of galloping hoofs. A Paladin came galloping into view, stopping out of range of Hector.

"So, you're the younger brotherof Marquess Ostia . . . and the son of Marquess Pherae . . . and the noblewoman of Caelin! My, my, my . . . so many poncy nobles, just ripe for the slaying! You'll never get past me, or my master, Lord Darin!" he declared, laughing as he galloped back the way he had come.

Hector was holding his Wolf Beil with a very ugly look on his face. Eliwood wasn't looking too charitable either.

"Not one Black Fang scum shall escape these walls today." Hector muttered. Eliwood was of like heart.

"I will defeat them all, if it means getting my father back." he said, striding forward.

The battle had begun.

-----

Raven pulled out his Steel sword, advancing slowly. A mage was peering through a bolthole, and Raven made sure to keep out of his sight.

The Black Fang man squinted through the hole. The mercenary he'd been targeting, he'd just- disappeared. Where'd he go?

A sword point filled his vision and punched straight through his head. He died without a sound, and the sword made a sickening squelch as it was withdrawn. His Thunder tome made a loud thump as it struck the stone floor, however.

Raven smirked as he pulled his sword from the hole and turned around.

A Knight was standing directly behind him, and he lunged for Raven with his Steel lance.

"What the- Blazes!" Raven swore as he dropped low to avoid the lance head. He came up hard, attempting to gut the Knight from beneath. It carved a large gash through the armour, but Raven's sword failed to penetrate. The Knight laughed as it swung it's lance into the Lycian's ribs and knocked him aside. Raven crashed into a stone wall, and his vision swam as he coughed blood onto his tunic.

The Knight laughed as it advanced in it's slow, clunking way. Raven struggled to his feet.

"You . . . won't take me like this . . . I'll go to blazes first . . ." he cursed, stabbing his sword into the stone in an attempt to pull himself to his feet.

"Die, you piece of- urk! Graaaaggh!" the Kniht gurgled. It fell backwards, revealing Sain. His Steel lance was bloody, and it looked like it would break soon.

"Why'd . . . why'd you save me?" Raven said, breathing lightly so it wouldn't hurt his ribs. Sain winked.

"Because, even though you gave me this-" he pointed to the healing cut on his neck. "- it doesn't mean you should die. If you do, then the lovely wildflower Rebecca can't choose which one of us to devote her love to!" he added with a grin. Raven rolled his eyes. Some things never changed.

"Heads up." Raven muttered. Sain bent low, trying to hear what he said.

"Pardon?" he asked, as a Thunder spell flew over his shoulder and collided with the stonework in front of him. Sain sat up straight, turning to see where the spell had come from. A Mage was muttering fluidly and waving a hand over his spellbook, when Raven walked calmly up and cut the book in half with his sword.

The Mage was left with two handfuls of shredded paper, and he looked from one to the other in astonishment.

Raven sighed, and laid the Mage out with a single punch. He collapsed to the stone, completely unconscious.

"Idiot." he muttered, before walking towards his next target. Sain grinned and followed the mercenary. Maybe this Raven fellow wasn't so bad after all.

-----

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!" asked a Soldier in indignation. The thief sighed, placing a hand on his hip and waiting for the Soldier to come to his senses. He didn't.

"I said, where do you think you're going!" he demanded, this time punctuating it with a shove. Like lightning, the thief grabbed his arm and twisted it painfully, forcing the Soldier to turn around and bend down to avoid his arm breaking.

"How long have you been here?" the thief asked casually, as though nothing was happening.

"About two weeks . . ." he whimpered. The thief nodded.

"I thought so. That's why you wouldn't have known me."

The Soldier gasped as his arm was forced further up, and tears leaked from his eyes.

"W-Who are you?" he begged. The thief tightened his grip a little.

"I'm Legault." he said, pushing a little harder. The Soldier tried to process this through the pain.

"Legault? The one they call the Hurricane? Second in ability to none but the Four Fangs?" he asked.

"Yeah." Legault said as he yanked his hostage's arm.

"Ow! Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-owwww!" the Soldier whined. Legault looked disgusted.

"And you're Black Fang? Nergal must be getting soft these days . . ." the Hurricane said. The Soldier was whimpering like a dog, with tears spilling down his face. Legault looked at the Soldier, and pretended to come to his senses.

"Oh! Right." he said, releasing the Soldier's arm. Legault walked off as the Black Fang Soldier whined and nursed his sore arm.

"Now . . ." said Legault, looking past the throne to the various chests of treasure. "Time to load my pockets with loot and get out of here. No sense staying on a sinking ship; no sense at all." he muttered, smiling as he held his Steel dagger. Spoils beckoned, and he really hated to disappoint.

-----

Lord Darin laughed, running a heavy gaunleted hand through hair that was slick with sweat. Ephidel had delivered not only the son of Marquess Pherae, but the brother of Marquess Ostia to him on a silver platter!

He hefted his Spear as a one-armed monk approached warily, his Shine tome precariously balanced on his only hand. Darin almost laughed. This puny little cripple was trying to defeat _the_ Marquess Laus? How absurd! Although, magic seemed to have a more powerful effect than it should, and that was a _Shine_ tome . . .

Darin laughed, shaking his head. What was he thinking? The ruler of the world was scared by a _monk_! He readied his Spear, as the monk dashed past his two guards and hefted his tome awkwardly.

"You think to challenge me? I, who will rule the world!" Darin boomed. Lucius watched his foe carefully, while chanting the sacred words that would conjure a small ball of Elimine's magic to smite his enemy. A large pillar of light began to emerge from the book . . .

Darin swept his lance low, trying to trip Lucius. It worked, and the monk was powerless to stop his fall, landing hard on his back. The Shine tome bounced out of reach, and the Light spell fizzled out.

"Weakling." Marquess Laus scoffed, raising his Spear for the killing blow. Lucius closed his eyes. He had made his peace with Elimine, and he did not fear the death that would be wrought.

The Spear came down.

IceBlade28: And that'll about do it for Chapter 12.

Serra: But it didn't have me in it!

IceBlade28: Bite me. Anyway, thanks to all the reviewers that gave me advice on whether or not to go to part 2 of the side quest. I decided against it.

Serra: Yeah, plus he didn't want to write it. He's such a lazy person.

IceBlade28: Oh really? I seem to recall a particular cleric that wanted vassals to, what was it? "They would have to call me Lady Serra . . . and bring me cold, refreshing drinks . . . and massage my feet and shoulders every day . . . I would also require their absolute submission to my every whim, of course . . . I don't need much, just a faithful servant who would slave away for me until death!"

Serra: Um . . . tell them about the next chapter!

IceBlade28: In Chapter 13 of Person's Unknown, everything comes to a head. Dragons will be summoned. Nergal will be revealed. The death of a loved one. And X's secret . . . or one of them . . . will be revealed . . .

Serra: Right. Review, people!


	13. Chapter XIII: Heart of The Dragon's Gate

Serra: Well, it's about time you updated!

IceBlade28: Oh, shut up. And how'd you get out of the closet! re-locks Serra in a closet.

Serra: Mmf! Mm-mmmmmff!

IceBlade28: Right. The review of last chapter!

Priscilla was mourning Guy's death, and contemplating the feelings in her heart. If Erk was so important to her, then why was Guy's death so painful to her?

Lyn was also visiting the graves, but this time at Dorcas' and Wil's graves. Bartre, being typical Bartre, was shouting at Dorcas' headstone about how they had a match to finish. One thing led to another, and Lyn and Bartre were at each other's throats when Kent and Eliwood arrived and restrained them. The two redheads then debated about whether X was still following them or if the assassin was still on board the _Davros_.

Within the bowels of the Dragon's Gate, X had frayed and weakened his ropes, and managed to escape! He also acquired a weapon- a strange sword that seemed half lance and half longsword. (For those of you who've played FE9, think Laguzslayer with more blade and less hilt.) The sword had the inscription Keyé Li'nk on the blade. The alarm was set off, and many of the Black Fang began to storm the torture chamber. X managed to rig up a fire barrier, but that was a temporary measure at best; especially since he had just sealed off his only escape route.

On board the _Davros_, things had finally come to a head. Dart and Matthew were faced off against Flaefir and Sholga. Combat ensued, and the archer Sholga was defeated. Matthew ran off to find and free Fargus, which he did. Dart fought a long and tiresome battle against the Sacaen Swordmaster, but eventually Dart cut Flaefir's legs off and left him in the cabin to die. Out on deck, Fargus had gone berserk and no longer recognised friend from foe.

Florina was in her tent, crying. She'd had such a hard time, with the deaths and the battles and the premonitions and all. Lyn came in to comfort her, and began to worry. If the dreams had the power to affect Florina's physical condition, she could be in danger. While Lyn was hugging Florina, the Ilian began to heat up to such an extreme that Lyn burned her hand on Florina's forehead, and her clothing was singed. During the heating, a silvery substance was pulsing through Florina's veins, and they had raised to the point of clear visibility. Lyn left, and Florina's could no longer find a pulse on herself. She fell to the ground.

The army then invaded the Dragon's Gate, and Ninian was captured by Ephidel. The battle began; to reach Ninian and Marquess Pherae, they would have to make it past the Black Fang and Lord Darin. Sain decided to do a good deed and saved Raven's life, who promptly returned the favour. Lucius managed to battle his way towards Darin and made it. When the General saw he was faced with a one-armed monk, he promptly tripped Lucius with his Spear and twirled it.

The Spear came down.

IceBlade28: Well, that was last chapter, folks. Now on to the newest installment!

Serra: Mmf- Mmm! Mmmmf mf mffff mmf mff!

IceBlade28: kicks closet door Keep it down in there! And sorry for the wait- I had a huge three-day convention. chanting TFY! TFY!

Serra: Mmf mmf mfffff mfmfff mmmmmmmmmfff!

IceBlade28: Do I have to set light to the cupboard? (Please, let me set light to the cupboard!)

Serra: Mmm-mmm. No.

IceBlade28: Good. (Dang!)

**Chapter XIII: The Heart of the Dragon's Gate**

The Spear came down.

Lucius quickly rolled to the side, and the Spearpoint crashed into the stonework. Scrambling upright, the blonde-haired monk eyed Lord Darin carefully.

"While I may be a monk, I'm afraid I'm not ready to meet Her Grace yet," Lucius explained, tensing up. Lord Darin laughed, and pulled back the Spear.

"You've got heart, cripple-" he began. Lucius crouched low and tumbled across the tiles in front of him, before standing up. Darin paused for a moment; why had the stupid monk done that? Switching sides wouldn't help him. He would die anyway.

Lucius smiled warmly at the General, and pulled an object from behind his back. Beneath the visor, Darin paled. So there was a method to the madness. Lucius had retrieved his weapon.

"Through Elimine's holy power, I strike you with Her holy magic! Shine!" the monk cried triumphantly. A sizzling ball of Light magic rose from the holy tome and shot towards Marquess Laus, striking him high on the chest. Darin gasped. That hurt more than it should. Perhaps his armour was magnifying the effects of the magic?

It didn't matter, Lord Darin decided. He was to be the ruler of the world! No-one could prevail against his might, especially not some crippled monk!

Lucius advanced slowly, unsure of how to react. His weapon of choice didn't have too many spells left in it, and the single Shine tome was all he could carry.

"I am the ruler of the world!" Darin snarled, hurling his Spear at Lucius. The monk jumped to the side, but the razor edge flashed past his chest. Blood splattered his robes, staining the white robes red. Lucius held the Shine book to his chest, doubling over. Lord Darin laughed, selecting another Spear from a rack behind him.

"I thought I told you. I am Marquess Laus, soon to be Emperor Darin! Lord Nergal has ensured me a place as the ruler of all Elibe!" he bellowed. Lucius looked up to see a figure in blue rush past, stopping before he reached Darin.

"Tell me, scum- did you happen to murder a spy?" Hector snarled, holding his Wolf Beil in the offensive position. "Did you kill Leila?" Lord Darin began to sweat.

"The brother of Marquess Ostia! I . . . I never-" he paused, and smiled. "I'll defeat you, no matter who you are! None can stand against my might!" he roared, thrusting at Hector.

The axeman leant back, allowing the Spear to shoot into nothing. The Lord smiled as he found the appropriate target.

He wrapped a gauntleted hand around the pull-back chain, preventing Lord Darin from recovering his weapon.

"H-Hey! Let go of my Spear," he shouted. Hector pulled hard on the chain, yanking the lance out of Darin's hands. With a murderous expression on his face, Hector rushed forward, his Wolf Beil axe cleaving the air.

"It's time to finish this," he growled, leaping into the air.

Lord Darin's eyes widened as the mighty axe filled his vision- and plunged into his neck, carving through his armour as though it were non-existent.

The Marquess dimly felt himself crashing to the floor, and bright lights exploded in his vision.

"Ephidel . . ." he moaned. "Ephidel, where are you? Your master . . calls for you. I will rule . . . the world . . ."

Hector sighed and kicked the mumbling body in the back of the head.

"Quit talking," he said, disgusted. Lucius walked over, examining the body.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not acquainted with you," he said politely. Hector looked up from the amber armour of Lord Darin.

"Huh? Oh, right. You're on our side." he said. "I'm Hector. Marquess Ostia's brother, and one of the commanding officers in the army." Lucius nodded.

"I am Lucius," he said, bowing. "I would shake your hand, but it's a bit difficult . . ." he added, looking at the empty sleeve of his robe. Hector smirked.

"Of course," he said, bending to pick up Darin's weapon. The Spear was long, sharp, and would probably kill someone in the wrong hands. Hector glanced at Lucius' robes.

"Hey, you're wounded!" he said. Lucius glanced at his chest.

"It's just a graze," he said. "Pay it no mind." Hector looked at him for a moment, before shrugging.

"If you insist," he said.

-----

Legault grinned as he fed the lockpick into the chest's lock. With a quick jiggle, the lock yielded, and the thief opened the lid. Legault smiled at the sight that greeted him.

"Ah," he murmured. "So this is where my favourite dagger got to," Legault reached inside the chest and withdrew a stout Steel dagger, slipping it comfortably into his belt.

"Now," he said aloud, looking down the hallway. "What else is there for me to swipe?" He turned around and saw a young woman running towards him. Lyn raised her Mani Katti expectantly, and Legault put his hands up.

"Whoa, whoa- I've not come to fight!" he explained. Lyn frowned.

"Are you Black Fang?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then you're here to fight!" Lyn said, exasperated. "I don't care if you're a Thief, you're going to-"

"_Ex_- Black Fang!" Legault shouted. Lyn paused.

"Huh?" Legault sighed, looking Lyn up and down.

"I'm _ex_-Black Fang," he explained. "I don't want to be here anymore. So I'm leaving them." Lyn looked a little confused.

"Oh," she said, unsure of what to do next. "Would you join us then? We're investigating this organisation; particularly a man named Nergal," she defined. Legault smirked.

"Nergal, eh?" he said. "Very well," Lyn smiled.

"So you'll join us?" she asked. Legault nodded.

"Yeah, I'll 'join you'," he said. Lyn smiled and ran back down the hallway. Legault sighed, shaking his head and smirking.

"This'll be fun," he remarked, promptly burying the crook of his dagger in a nearby back. The Soldier cried out and fell, causing the rest to turn towards him.

"The Hurricane!" one gasped.

"Traitor!" said the other.

"Correct," Legault quipped, darting forward and slashing a throat. "At your service, my friends," he finished, while finishing the rest of the Soldiers.

-----

Rebecca frowned as she placed an arrow back in her quiver. The enemy she was targeting had been cut down by Lord Eliwood already. Sighing, she shouldered her bow and jogged up to the throne room.

Sain noticed the attractive girl alone and decided to make his move. He trotted neatly alongside her, smiling.

"Ah, Rebecca! My heart is gladdened to see you survived the fearsome battle that recently occurred!" he said smoothly. Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"It's good to see you too, Sain." she said dryly. Sain ran a gauntleted hand through his hair.

"You truly mean that? Ah, it is a blessed day," he said. Rebecca walked slightly faster.

"Lord Eliwood has requested everyone's presence at the throne. I think we're about to rescue Marquess Pherae," she told him. Sain frowned, but his debonair attitude could not be contained for long.

"My lady Rebecca, if such a mission is to be executed, there could be danger. Would you allow me to ride with you?" he asked. Rebecca opened her mouth, undoubtedly to say 'no', but Sain held up his hand.

"Just as a friend," he said sincerely. "Just a friend." Rebecca closed her mouth, unsure of how to react. This couldn't be sincerity; not from the camp's biggest womaniser! A more suspicious part of her told her to let the offer go, that it was just a trick. But at the same time, she felt . . . flattered? What?

"Well, I guess so," Rebecca said, trying to smile. And she did, feeling her usual happy-go-lucky self come back.

"Sure, Sain! But we have to stay 'just friends', okay?" she chirped. The Green Lance blinked. This had to be his lucky day! Rebecca seemed to have forgotten all negative feelings towards him and decided to start fresh! Sain grinned to himself and ran a hand through his hair again.

"Of course, Lady Rebecca. You have my word as a Knight of Caelin!" he proclaimed. Rebecca beamed, and walked alongside him. _If_ Sain could be trusted this time, then perhaps Rebecca would talk to him a little more often. His womanising habits would have to be cut out, but he wasn't too bad a guy . . . he'd just gotten off on the wrong foot with Rebecca. Several wrong feet, in fact. But at least he would talk and laugh; not like Raven.

Rebecca shivered, and thought about the mercenary. He was so emotionless, but if Rebecca had lost her parents in one day like that, she'd probably be the same way too. He was cute, for sure. He had a great body too. And there were times that he seemed so warm and inviting . . .

The archeress had to forcibly strive away from the image of her kissing Raven. She swallowed hard, hoping Sain didn't pick up on her uneasiness. What was going on with her? She didn't just give her heart away to anyone!

"Lady Rebecca?" asked Sain, frowning. Rebecca winced. Crap.

"Yes?" she asked. _Don't ask, don't ask, don't ask . . ._ she prayed.

"Is something the matter? I haven't done anything to offend you again, have I?" Sain said nervously. Rebecca shook her head quickly.

"What? No, of course not Sain! You're fine," she said quickly. "Let's pick up the pace; we need to get to Lord Eliwood and the others." Sain nodded.

"Of course, Lady Rebecca," he said.

-----

X held the Keyé Li'ink tight, watching as hordes of men threw water on his fire barrier. The oil wouldn't stay ablaze for long, not with this kind of onslaught. Irked, the assassin grabbed something from a nearby table. It was a long, sharp skinning knife.

X shrugged, and threw it at a Mage with a large bucket of water. The knife struck him in the throat, and the body fell into the oil. What was left of the Mage quickly caught alight, causing more trouble for the Black Fang. X looked back at the table on which the skinning knife had lain, and his eyes lit up in pleasure.

There was about twenty different kinds of knifes, from skinning to throwing to stiletto to a strange design used by Sacaens in remote parts of the plains. And of course, the good old hunting knife. There was even a bundle of throwing axes. Overall, roughly thirty projectiles lay on the table.

X grinned widely, and removed another knife. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Knives shot through the fire like buckshot, and X was rewarded with some lovely screams. Truth be told, the assassin was enjoying himself, until a familiar voice echoed down the hall.

"You idiots!" Ephidel screeched, shoving his way past the dead and wounded, of which there were a surprising number. "I'll handle the blasted fire, you just kill the prisoner!" X threw a Hand axe in annoyance; to his surprise Ephidel caught the handle and dropped it onto the stone stairs next to him.

"Icy wind of glacial peaks, lend me thy aid! Snow of deepest winter, ice and frost of old- I call you in a whirlwind to freeze mine enemy! Fimbulvetr!" the morph roared. A tiny blue wind came to life in the centre of the flames, expanding until large chunks of ice and snow could be seen whizzing around inside it, until it extinguished the flames with a crashing sound. Ephidel smirked, satisfied.

"There, you fools! Now kill the prisoner!" he shouted, pointing through the door. A Knight pushed his way past the morph, and entered the darkness.

X smiled as he crouched beneath his table of knives and axes. It was pitch black in the torture room; perfect for a little smoke and mirrors.

"Prisoner!" the Knight bellowed, as a Soldier and a brawny Fighter entered behind him. "You will not escape the justice of the Black Fang!"

X shook his head, reaching up and removing a stout dagger from the table.

"Be quiet," he said aloud, hurling the knife at the Knight. The Black Fang outside the room winced as they heard a loud crash, and the Knight's helmeted head was visible-

With a dagger splitting the visor. The small army took one look at the Knight and fled.

"Get back here, fools!" Ephidel roared at the deserters. "I'll have you all murdered for desertion! The Hurricane will see to it!"

That sentence alone brought many back down the steps. If they had to die, they'd die with honour, not by the hand of the 'house-cleaner'.

"Blazes," X muttered. Ephidel was screwing things up. If the morph hadn't interfered, X's plan would have worked. Now he would have to work hard just to escape with all his limbs, much less his life.

The assassin bit his lip, looking at his hands. He had the power to heal himself. It was a strong power; but he didn't want to push it. Maybe he couldn't heal himself. Maybe the occurrence in Badon was a freak accident or something. Maybe his father-

X held the Keyé Li'ink in one hand. There were a lot of weapons in the torture chamber. They would be put to use.

The assassin held the powerful Keyé Li'ink in one hand, spinning it around. In the darkness it looked like a solid wall of steel, albeit razor sharp.

X walked into the light, with part of the shaft tucked behind his back. The jagged blade was gleaming, and the assassin beckoned silently with his hand.

"Let's dance, you and I," he whispered, his deep blue eyes sparkling wickedly.

The Black Fang advanced.

-----

Eliwood twisted his neck, cracking the tendons. He placed a hand on his Rapier hilt, and hesitated.

"Did we lose anyone?" he asked Marcus. The paladin turned his back and did a quick head count.

"No, my Lord Eliwood. We were lucky this time." he said, satisfied. "My assistant, Lowen, got into a tight area, but I helped him out- he's being patched up as we speak by the healers." Marcus added as an afterthought. Eliwood's face was firm, and he shook his head.

"Marcus, I won't do any more waiting. My father is just beyond these stairs. Direct Hector and Lyn to me; I'm going after him." he said vehemently. Marcus looked at the youth with admiration in his eyes.

"And not a truer word has been spoken, my liege!" the aged paladin said. Eliwood nodded in dismissal, but Marcus couldn't resist saluting before running off to find the other Lord and Lady.

Eliwood stared at the steps; they seemed to extend further than normal, into an inky blackness.

"Soon, Father." he murmured. "I'll be with you soon."

-----

Kent walked purposefully towards the tent of his fellow Caeliner, Florina. The Lord's had entered the heart of the Dragon's Gate without warning, and the camp was a buzzing hive of panic. Everyone was packing up, as the majority of them knew that Hector, Eliwood and Lyndis would want to leave in a hurry. And those who didn't know this for sure were packing up anyway.

"Pardon me, Florina," Kent said, ducking into the tent. "This army is moving out, and I thought I could offer my assistance by-" The cavalier stopped as he saw the young Ilian slumped on the floor, unmoving.

Kent's heart rate quickened as he knelt by her side and discarded his gloves.

"Florina?" he said loudly, clapping his hands by her ear. "Florina, wake up," he called, clapping again. He took her hand, mentally running over the stages of resuscitation.

"Florina, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand," he called again, holding her hand and waiting. There was no answer. Kent cursed softly and placed the back of his hand near Florina's mouth, after rolling her onto her side.

The Ilian wasn't breathing.

"Florina!" Kent barked, rolling the young girl onto her back. He placed two fingers against her wrist, attempting to find a pulse. Failing that, Kent quickly placed the two fingers against her neck, trying to locate the carotid pulse. _Please_, Kent prayed, attentive to the slightest movement. _Let there be a pulse . . . if Fiora found out her sister was dead . . . _

There was nothing. The Crimson Shield began pressing against the Pegasus Knight's chest, trying to restart Florina's heart, but in his soul he knew that his work would be fruitless.

Choking, Kent cradled Florina's body in his arms, unsure of how to proceed. Besides his liege lady, Fiora was the one person in the camp whom he trusted completely. How she would deal with her sister's death, Kent couldn't know.

"Florina?" sounded a female voice. "Sister, we're heading out, and I thought-" Fiora stopped, trying to take in the scene. Kent turned to face the elder sister, his face a mask of sorrow.

"Fiora, you must help me," Kent began. "I found her like this; she's-" But Fiora had already descended and pushed the cavalier roughly away.

"Florina!" Fiora shouted, shaking her younger sister by the shoulders. "_Florina!_" Kent reached forward, but the Pegasus Knight slapped his hand away. With tears in her eyes, Fiora stood up, holding her younger sister's limp body tight.

"Kent, I trusted you," she said with barely contained anger. "I honestly thought you would never do something like this. You spoke so often of duty, of honour . . . and yet you would murder your own comrade," she said softly. Kent's mouth hung open, aghast.

"Fiora, you mustn't think _I_ could commit an act this heinous!" he cried. "When I spoke with you, I spoke only the truth!" Fiora was crying openly now, and turned a deaf ear to the cavalier's pleas. Angrily, she strode out of the tent and ran towards the healer's tent. If the healer's could not do anything to preserve Florina's life . . . then, hopefully, they would be able to establish whether or not the man she trusted had murdered her sister.

Florina's lips had turned a bright blue, and the veins on her hand were raised and grotesque; a sign of poisoning.

-----

Nergal frowned angrily. Ephidel was supposed to be here for the ceremony; blast that puppet! Still, his creation wasn't _strictly_ necessary to perform the ritual. Nergal smiled wickedly at Marquess Pherae, who was struggling weakly against his bonds.

"You see, Elbert," Nergal said, gesturing towards Ninian. The dancer stood before the gateway of the Dragon's Gate, under a powerful enchantment. Her eyes were the shallow pits they had been on the _Davros_, and an eerie aura surrounded her.

"There is no stopping me," Nergal gloated. "I shall use the girl to summon and gain the quintessence of dragons, and move ever closer to perfection. I shall be invincible!" he laughed.

"Nergal . . ." Lord Elbert moaned. Was there no sense left in this man! If dragon's returned, then the continent would be ash in a month!

"Nergal, die!" the Marquess shouted. The Dark Druid turned around, caught off guard.

"Eh?" he asked. Lord Elbert lunged, his hidden dagger seeking-

When Jaffar appeared and pinched a nerve on his back, laying him out flat in an instant. Nergal smiled at the assassin.

"Well, that was a surprise," he said curiously. "When did he undo his bonds?" The assassin remained characteristically silent. Nergal shrugged.

"It matters not. Now, Ninian; you've caused me much grief, but it shall all be for naught. Open the gate!" The dancer nodded slowly.

"Open . . . gate . . . yes, Master . . ." she moaned, advancing. Nergal smiled, licking his lips in anticipation. The quintessence of dragon's would give him the power to cripple nations with one stroke.

"Nergal!" came a shout. He turned to look down the stairs, and saw the three Lord's charging up the stairs. The Dark Druid cursed silently.

"They never quit, do they!" he cursed through gritted teeth. "Jaffar!" he shouted, but the Angel of Death was already descending the steps, sticking to the shadows.

Eliwood ran up the steps, his Rapier out and ready to strike.

"Father!" he shouted, but skidded to a halt. A man in black robes had descended _from the ceiling_.

"You may not pass. These are my master Nergal's wishes, and his word is law," Jaffar intoned, slowly drawing his Killing edges. Hector's face was murderous as he hefted his mighty Wolf Beil. The daggers still had blood on them; it must have been from Leila.

"You! You murdered my spy, didn't you! Scum!" Hector bellowed, but he was distracted by a hand on his arm.

"You . . . must not fight that man," Lord Elbert said groggily. "You are . . no match for him, not even as a group . . ." he gave way to coughing. Eliwood crouched at his father's side.

"Father! I've found you!" Eliwood said tearfully, gripping his hand. Lyn smiled at the two, marvelling at the family resemblance. Nergal, standing next to the possesed dancer, couldn't resist giving a mocking smile.

"The father and son, together again." he scorned. "Jaffar, you have done enough. Go to Bern and begin your next assignment." The black-clad assassin nodded and vanished into the shadows. Nergal turned back to the three Lord's and Marquess.

"Well, Eliwood, I must give you credit," he announced. "You have come a long way. So, in honour of your hard-fought arrival, you will be here to witness the end of the world!" Eliwood ignored the man, concentrating on his father-

When the Marquess began screaming. Eliwood was looking around in shock.

"Father! What's going on!" He shouted in annoyance. Then he saw it. A silver stream of light was being drawn haltingly from his heart, flowing and twisting through the air-

Towards Ninian. The dancer licked her lips and turned from the writhing body of Eliwood's father, and stood before the mighty doorway of the Dragon's Gate. With a simple gesture, the stone doors gave way to a gaping maw of flame, spiralling into the nether regions of space and time.

"Come . . ." Ninian whispered. "Come to me . . . . children of . . . flame . . ." Nergal smiled wickedly as a shape took form within the Gate, and a terrible rumbling engulfed the occupants. Hector looked up in shock, and he felt a new sensation: fear.

"It . . . can't be . . ." he mumbled. Lyn held her Mani Katti loosely, and seemed of like feeling.

"Is that . . a . . ." she gasped. "Dragon?"

The creature let out an earsplitting roar, sending streams of fire cascading down the stone tiles. Nergal smiled at the beast, and raised his hand to conjure a spell.

"No! I won't allow this!" came a cry. Nergal turned towards the sound and saw a small boy charging towards the scene. The Dark Druid scowled.

"Nils? What are you doing! You'll ruin everything!" he bellowed. "Arrrgh!" Nergal moaned, as a jet of flame shot across his face, burning it severely. The bard darted in beneath the beast's legs and grabbed his sister's arm.

"Ninian! Ninian, wake up! You can't do this thing!" he cried, shaking his elder sister. Ninian turned slowly to face her brother, and her eyes suddenly cleared of the red mists.

"Nils? Nils! Where are we?" she said hurriedly. The bard didn't waste time explaining, pulling his sister's arm and running for the three Lord's and the Marquess. Nergal sent them a look of fury.

"No! What are you doing! Ephidel! Get here _now!_" Nergal bellowed. A magic glow appeared briefly in the midst of the fire, and the Dark Druid saw that not one, but _two _figures had appeared.

Ephidel sent a punch towards his assailant, cursing. Apparently neither of them had realised that there was a furious dragon less than five metres behind them.

"Get off of me, scum!" Ephidel bellowed, kicking the assassin away. X sprang to his feet, holding his Keyé Li'ink and breathing hard. A large gash was visibly bleeding on his chest, but he stood upright.

The morph turned towards his master, who sniffed and warped away. The plan was ruined; the backup plan would have to be initiated. Ephidel turned quickly, and saw the mighty form of the dragon practically upon him.

"Everyone, flee! The dragon is crumbling!" Nils yelled, scurrying down the steps. Ephidel attempted to conjure up a Fimbulvetr spell, but his tome was incinerated by the shower of fire that engulfed him.

"No!" he shouted. "No, don't come over here! Master Nergal, help me! Eeyaaaaaah!" he screamed, before a horrible crunching sound echoed through the chamber. The morph had been crushed beneath a giant clawed foot. X watched the dragon curiously, smiling as he saw the morph die.

Until the dragon turned and gave him a burning glare. Pillars of fire were knifing through the air, and the beast was half decayed. Flesh was burning away from the skull, and it beared it's teeth, with half the gums charred and blackened. It truly was a nightmarish creature. The fire dragon roared, and it's single visible eye glittered with malice through the socket of the skull.

" . . . Eep . . ." X gulped, before turning to run. The dragon let out an incredible screech, and crumbled into flaming shards, which were quickly sucked into the vortex that was the Dragon's Gate. X stuck the tip of his sword into the stonework and held on tight; if he was drawn into the Gate, Elimine only knew what would happen to him! He bowed his head as pieces of the dragon flew everywhere.

One struck his heart.

X screamed, and his blue eyes shone brightly enough to illuminate the area around him. The silver substance that had been wrenched from his core on the _Davros_ seemed to blossom from his heart, and quickly covered the area, flowing over the group of people on the stairs and crashing out the doors. It lingered at the borders of the dragon-made building for a moment, and dissipated into nothing.

-----

Priscilla turned away from the still form of Florina to rinse the gem of the Restore staff. The jewel had to be touching the bloodstream to detect any poison or 'foul play', so a small incision was necessary. Strangely, however, the staff showed no sign of poison or natural venom being used at all. The gem showed that Florina's heart encoutered a brief bout of trauma before it stopped, suggesting a fatal heart attack; but Florina was so young! The odds of such a thing occuring in a young girl was almost a million to one.

The troubadour turned back to the Ilian when a wall of glowing, silver light collided with her, knocking her back a step. The light gleamed like the purest silver, and came in 'waves' that pulsed through her form and pushed her back several more steps. The troubadour was unsure of the nature of the light when it immediately faded away, leaving Priscilla with a rather euphoric feeling curling around her breasts.

Florina blinked, and sat up on the table. Priscilla turned to her subject and gaped at her, shocked. The blue from her lips had gone, her veins had gone back to normal, and the Ilian seemed perfectly normal.

"Um . . . where- where a-am I?" Florina asked shyly, unwilling to meet Priscilla's gaze. The Etrurian seemed to come to her senses.

"You're in the healing tent," she began. "A girl bearing a resemblance to you brought you here; I believe her name was Fiora. She was crying; she thought you had died. And until a minute ago, so did I," Priscilla explained, feeling very overwhelmed.

Florina nodded, feeling rather dazed and lightheaded. Still, perhaps coming back from the dead did that to a person.

-----

X had stopped screaming, but the tendons on his neck were standing out as he strained against the pain. The explosion of the silver light had ceased, and he slumped against his sword for a moment, before collapsing onto the floor.

"Can't . . ." he choked, gasping for air. "Can't . . . do anymore . . ." His eyes slowly slipped shut, and the dragon shard protruding from his chest crumbled into dust. The body of the assassin gave one final shudder, and was still. Further down the passage, the three Lord's had gathered around the body of Lord Elbert.

"It's . . . it's over," Eliwood mumbled. "Father, we can go home at last."

"No . . ." Elbert said, shaking his head. Ninian and Nils had gathered by the Marquess' side, and the dancer was softly weeping.

"I'm done here, my son," Elbert gasped. "Though . . . Eleanora will be cross with me . . ." Eliwood shook his head vigourously, feeling tears spring to his eyes. He continued to talk as the Marquess' head dipped back, and came to rest on the stone tiles.

"Father, you can't . . . not when we've finally found you again . . please . . ." the Marquess' eyes misted over, and his body went limp. Grief overtook Eliwood, and he collapsed.

"Faaaaaaaaaaatheeeeeerrrr!"

-----

Florina sat on the table, sniffing. Though the Ilian was trying not to cry, it wasn't the most fruitful of activities; tears were already slipping down her face.

Priscilla turned at the noise, and watched the young girl weep. The troubadour wallked slowly over, and gave Florina an awkward hug.

"It's alright . . ." she whispered, as though the Pegasus Knight was a young child; in retrospect, Florina was in fact quite young. "There's no need to cry . . ."

The Ilian continued to cry harder, mumbling something about Lyn. The troubadour bent closer to hear her words.

"Pardon?" she asked, when a peculiar sensation found her. Her arms had closed on nothing.

Priscilla took a hurried step back, and looked frantically around. Florina was nowhere to be seen. She had disappeared! Simply vanished! There was no magic glow, no footsteps- the Ilian had been in Priscilla's arms one minute and gone the next.

The Etrurian felt her legs give way, and she stared blankly at the table for several minutes.

"Lady Priscilla, are you alright?" sounded a voice. The princess gave a start.

"Oh, Erk," she said, looking into his eyes. He was standing just within the tent, his arms folded and a concerned expression ready.

"I didn't hear you come in," Priscilla said, flummoxed. Erk nodded, and sat down beside his escortee. The mage hesitated for a moment, and put his arm around Priscilla's shoulder.

"I know things have been hard, Lady Priscilla," the mage began, staring at the floor. "I understand you're not completely over the death of the mercenary, and if things get too strenuous, please just call on me. It's what I'm here for," he explained. The troubadour gazed at him, with tears in her eyes.

"Erk . . ." she mumbled, before burying her face in his shoulder. The mage gave her an awkward pat on the back; he was never too comfortable with this part of escorting. He was responsible for the emotional wellbeing of the subject, and he _could not_ fall in love.

Whether he gave himself any choice in the matter was another thing entirely.

IceBlade28: Alrighty, that should do it for chapter XIII! I hope you all liked it!

Serra: Mmf mff mmmf!

IceBlade28: Do you want me to let you out of the cupboard?

Serra: _Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmffff!_

IceBlade28: Fine. unlocks cupboard.

Serra: I can breathe! Praise be your graces, Saint Elimine!

IceBlade28: Oookay, then. Why don't you tell them about the next chapter?

Serra: Sure thing! Next time, on Person's Unknown: Eliwood is coping with the death of his father; how will this affect the army? Things are on shaky ground with Fiora and Kent, and the Crimson Shield is accused of murder! But if there's no body, how can this be true! Where has Florina gone, and what happened to X? Plus, we find out what's happening on the _Davros_!

And the next chapter has me in it! Yay!

IceBlade28: Yes, the next chapter has you in it. Reviews are much appreciated: Because the more reviews I get, the more chapters you get, and the better the chapters are. So, thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to R&R!


	14. Chapter XIV: An Assassin's Plight

IceBlade28: Wow . . . 48 reviews! I'm so proud of you all!

Serra: He's kinda chirpy today.

IceBlade28: Yeah, I am! Anyway, I'll shoot through the summary of last chapter, and then we can get started, huh?

Serra: Oh! Oh! Can I do it?

IceBlade28: Sure, why not.

Serra: Yay! gets hit on head with Erk plushie. Ow! What was- ohmigosh! An Erk plushie! It's so-

Giant horde of fangirls mob Serra and fight over Erk plushie General clamour ensues, and fangirls leave with Erk plushie in shreds

Serra: Owies . . .

IceBlade28: Heh heh heh. Anyway, last chapter:

Lucius scrambled aside, managing to dodge the killing blow from Lord Darin. Through the combined efforts of Lucius and Hector, the Marquess of Laus was taken down. The axefighter and the monk then made acquaintences.

Legault was having a nice time looting the Black Fang's treasure chests when he bumped into a Mani Katti-wielding Lyn. After a few hasty words, the two managed to sort things out and the Hurricane joined their group.

Sain decided to pursue Rebecca again, but this time a more subtle approach- he would start again as a friend. Surprisingly, the Pheraen gave him a second chance, but memories of Raven haunted her countenance.

Within the home-made torture chamber of the Dragon's Gate, X had created a fire barrier and was flinging all sorts of knives and hand axes through the gap, when Ephidel appeared on the scene and snuffed the fire with a well-placed Fimbulvetr. The assassin was then hard-pressed to get out alive; even with his strange healing powers, the numbers were suffocating.

Eliwood would no longer wait, and ordered Marcus to find Lyn and Hector- they would advance and save his father.

Kent decided to help Florina pack her things, only to find her unconscious and not breathing on the floor. The cavalier quickly ran through the steps of resuscitation, to no avail- Florina was declared medically dead. Kent held the corpse in his arms, crying softly when Fiora entered her sister's tent. Though it seemed ludicrous, Fiora blamed Kent for the murder of her sister.

Within the Dragon's Gate, Nergal, Lord Elbert, Ninian and Jaffar stood, the latter halting the Lord's (and Lady)'s advance. Nergal smiled and motioned to Ninian; the ice dragon proceeded to leech Marquess Pherae's quintessence and used it to open the gaping maw of the Dragon's Gate. Within the Gate, a shape took form, and a furious Fire Dragon stormed into the chamber. It was then that Nils ran onto the scene- the sight of her younger brother shattering Nergal's enchantment and restoring Ninian to her normal state. Nergal called forth Ephidel for reinforcements, but it didn't go as planned- Ephidel _and_ X had appeared, and were grappling. Long story short, Ephidel got fried and squished by Mr Angry-As-All-Heck-Fire-Dragon, and X got to nearly pee his pants as a half-decayed fire dragon turned his sights on him. The dragon crumbled, and several flaming shards of dragon shot through the vortex, until one struck X in the heart. He screamed, and this liquidy silver light shone from his core and went over everyone in the Dragon's Gate. Priscilla came away with a rather euphoric feeling- Florina came back from the dead. X decided to slump on the floor and stop moving while (I'll be blunt) Marquess Pherae carked it. Eliwood didn't take it too well.

Back in the healing tent, Florina's body, alive and talking, suddenly faded into nothingness. There one second, gone the next. Poof. And Erk decided to come in and give Priscilla a little hug, and reminded himself that he couldn't fall in love with her.

IceBlade28: So, yeah- that was last chapter.

Serra: Owwww . . . I got hurt from that! I hope you're happy.

IceBlade28: Yeah, you catch on quick.

Serra: Well I never!

**Chapter XIV: An Assassin's Plight**

Dart grabbed the hairy wrist, squeezing the joint tight. His face was beetroot red, and little gasping sounds were coming from his throat as he was slowly strangled. Dart had his hand wrapped tightly around the tender point in a wrist, but Fargus maintained his vice-like grip.

"Cap'n . ." he gurgled. The berserker's eyes registered for a brief moment, but quickly faded back to the demonic red of bloodlust. Dart could slowly feel the life draining out of him, and the pressure in his head was mounting to almost an explosive level.

High above the pair, Matthew groaned and swung down on a sturdy rope. This wasn't going to end well. The thief swung one-handed down on a rope and held X's dagger in his hand, hilt down.

"Hey Fargus!" the spy yelled; not from bravado, but because it would work better head on. The berserker turned at the strange sound, and the fine hilt of X's dagger smashed into his nose with a sickening crunching sound.

Fargus made a whimpering noise and his eyes blurred with tears, but his hand would not move from Dart's throat-

Until the Pirate kicked him in a place where no civilised man should be kicked. With steel-toed boots.

The berserker went cross-eyed and sank slowly to the deck, blinded and near paralysed. Matthew dropped lithely to the deck and stayed a cautious distance away. '_A wolf's head can still bite you even if the wolf is dead_' he reasoned. And in any case, this wolf would probably recover quickly.

Dart ran over to the Captain, shouting his name in an effort to clear the bloodmists.

"Cap'n! Captain Fargus!" Dart yelled, giving the large man a light slap on each cheek. The berserker looked through dreary eyes at the Pirate, and his eyes cleared of the red veils.

"Dart!" the Captain said weakly. "What . .?" The Pirate offered his hand to help the man up; his face was still bright red and there were finger-shaped welts on his throat.

"You went berserk, Cap'n," Dart wheezed. "You killed all the mutineers out 'ere, an' then you wen' an' turned yer sights on me!" The berserker nodded slowly, holding his private area and his stomach.

Matthew smirked as the giant of a man staggered over to the edge of the ship and leaned over the railing. The sound of vomiting and splashing came clearly, and the Ostian chuckled.

Fargus stumbled back to the pair, and the three stood on the blood-soaked deck.

"Well," Matthew said, looking at the horizon. "Anyone have an idea where we are?" The seamen looked out at the ocean and sky, and back to Matthew.

"Nay," Dart said simply, striding towards the helm. "But what with the currents 'round 'ere, once we hit one, we'll be on a nice smooth ride towards the Dread Isle,"

The spy nodded, staring out at the deep blue horizon. Something was niggling at him. Premonition was too strong a word . . . a feeling, perhaps, call it what you will. Somehow Matthew knew that something terrible had happened on that island.

-----

(a/n: Still within the Dragon's Gate, near the Gate itself).

Lyn looked back at the body of X, frowning. Eliwood's tortured cries had abated to a soft weeping, and the Sacaen left his side to inspect the body of their stalker. She wasn't sure _what_ had happened after the dragon had crumbled; that silver light which encompassed them and shone from X's core.

The assassin was sprawled on his side, with his usual hood obscuring all but his usually luminous blue eyes. Those eyes were closed, and there was only darkness within the hood.

Lyn took the opportunity to study the assassin carefully. He was far from being heavily muscled; in fact, Lyn wouldn't have been exaggerating to say that she was bigger than he was! A green cloak covered his body, and the baggy sleeves extended to his wrists. A pair of green leggings settled to cover the lower half of his body, and a pair of brown boots served as shoes. Lyn was puzzled; even his _outfit_ struck him as familiar, but why hadn't she ever seen him before! It felt like she'd known this man since birth, but any attempt to remember him resulted in a fog.

Shrugging, the Caelin princess lifted X up and tossed him over her shoulder, carrying him back to Hector, Eliwood, and the late Marquess Pherae. Lyn frowned at her load; he was so light. Almost like . . like Florina.

Lyn shook her head hard. This man- this boy- was nothing like Florina. He was male, he was an assassin . . . he was a _murderer_! It was this person that was responsible for the death of the tactician. Who knows, maybe he was even responsible for Florina's visions.

If he was, he would pay dearly for the torment he had caused her friend.

Lyn carried X back over to the two Lord's, glancing sadly at the body of Marquess Pherae. Hector had his gauntleted hand on Eliwood's back in a comforting gesture; Lyn felt a pang of sadness.

"We should go," Lyn said quietly. Hector nodded, whispering a few words in Eliwood's ear. The red-eyed Lord nodded, and rose from the body of his father. Hector reverently lifted the corpse of Lord Elbert from it's place on the stone tiles and laid it across his shoulders, fire-man style.

The three Lord's then walked slowly out of the Dragon's Gate; but Lyn couldn't help but think of the teenager over her shoulder. There would be a long interrogation when they got back to camp- or when he woke up.

-----

Kent hadn't moved from his seat within Florina's tent, numbed by what had happened. Florina had died; worse, Fiora was blaming _him_ for killing her! The Crimson Shield turned around at the sound of footsteps, his face streaked with tears.

Sain and Bartre had entered the tent. Kent's good friend had a sword by his side, and his stance showed he was ready to use it; the Fighter carried a large length of chain and a lock. Kent rose to his feet, causing Sain to tense up.

"Sain . . what are you doing?" Kent asked warily. The Green Lance slowly placed his hand on the sword hilt.

"We've been sent to bring you in, Kent," Sain said slowly. "Lady Lyn's orders; you're to be held indefinitely until you're tried for murder," Kent eyed the sword carefully, starting to back away.

"Sain, you know I didn't do this- I didn't kill Florina! I _found_ her dead!" The cavalier just shook his head.

"Don't dig a deeper hole, partner!" Sain said angrily. "I don't want to believe this any more than you do, but it's direct orders from Lady Lyndis!" His expression grew solemn.

"I have to do what she tells me, Kent. And so do you," Sain said, looking his friend hard in the eye. "It's part of our job as cavaliers. Part of our knighthood."

Kent watched Bartre advance, the length of chain slowly uncoiling in his massive hand.

"Wait- why are you here?" he asked Bartre. "Aren't you Lord Eliwood's bodyguard?" The axeman shrugged.

"The word around camp was there's a cavalier who ain't as chivalrous as he seems!" he proclaimed. "And I heard he's a strong one, and I can tell by looking at you! We shall fight!" Kent looked at Sain and raised a questioning eyebrow. The cavalier winced.

"He wasn't my first choice either, my friend," Sain said painfully. Kent nodded, and they all seemed to remember why they were there.

"Sain, I won't be trussed up like some prize pig while I wait for trial for a murder I did not commit," Kent warned. "I did not kill Florina. You know me, Sain- I _couldn't_ do a thing like that!"

"Why are you fighting this!" Sain yelled. "Kent, just come on! If you come peacefully, it'll be further in your favour during the court marshal, so just give up!" Kent shook his head vehemently.

"I'm not coming in," he stated finally. Sain sighed in resignation, shaking his head.

"You've left me no choice, friend," he said sadly, nodding to Bartre. The Fighter grinned and ran towards the Crimson Shield, swinging his chain dangerously. Kent grabbed the chain with his gauntleted hand, pulling Bartre forward and delivering a crippling blow to the gut. He fell to the floor, winded.

Sain immediately unsheathed his sword.

"Kent, we've been great friends. Last time now- don't do this," he begged, the sword point directed at Kent. The Crimson Lance eyed the sword for a second, before glancing at the tent flap behind Sain. The Subcommander followed his gaze.

"Don't run," Sain added. Kent shook his head.

"Everybody runs, Sain," he said, charging for his friend. Sain's eyes widened, and his grip on the sword tightened.

"Kent!" he bellowed, before closing his eyes tightly and swinging the sword. Sain sent a furious prayer went to Elimine, begging for Kent to survive.

The red-haired man dropped low and rolled, knocking Sain's feet from under him and evading the slash. Kent threw the tent flap open and pelted out into the camp.

"Stop him!" Sain shouted, already hating himself. Kent kept running, trying not to cry. How could his life have turned so upside down so quickly?

Oswin turned at the sound of running footsteps, and the shouts of 'Stop!'. The Knight casually stuck his lance out at neck height and clothes-lined the unwitting cavalier.

Kent performed a full backwards somersault in mid-air before landing hard on his face, unconscious.

-----

Florina looked around her in fear, unsure of what had transpired. She had just faded out of existence, and now she was back in this accursed place. The same place her dreams had taken her; the mountain hall, the place with lakes of fire.

The tiny Pegasus Knight sniffed back a tear, sitting down and hugging her knees. What in the world was happening to her? And why _her_? She hadn't done anything to anger anyone, had she? She'd always been so frightened; Florina was a little surprised she hadn't had a heart attack and died yet.

Except for the semi-obvious fact that that was exactly what had just happened. The Ilian began to cry, her shoulders shaking hard. Her life had been almost normal before now. Florina found herself wishing Lyn was there.

Her attention was drawn by a bright flash; almost like a lightnening bolt. Then another, closer. Florina stared wide-eyed at the strange light, until several jagged bolts of electricity converged on one area with a loud boom. Florina covered her face in fright as the weird activity continued. The young girl peeked through her fingers as the sound lessened, and the lightning faded to a blue glow, from which an unwelcome person emerged.

It was X, but his appearance had radically changed. He still kept the gorgeous blue eyes, but his hood was gone. His face clearly showed that of a teenager, probably no older than Wil or even Florina herself. His hair was dark brown, though short and spiked. He wore a grey jacket of simple material and design, with a pair of tight grey pants to match. In addition to this strange ensemble, a weapon hung over his shoulder. Florina could just see the words 'Kéye Li'ink' etched into the jagged blade.

X gave himself a quick checkover, marvelling at his new clothes.

"A little weird, but it suits me," he said to himself. Florina trembled on the spot; the last time this maniac had been near her, he'd tried to kill her. Twice. X glanced up and saw the weeping Pegasus Knight.

"Oh! Florina, hey," he said, a little unsure of himself. The Ilian was somewhat confused; gone was the eerie countenance, gone was the look of bloodlust or evil. He seemed like a normal kid; even though he was a murderer.

X took one look at Florina's face and his heart sank.

"Look, I'm really sorry about everything, okay?" he said sadly, letting the Kéye Li'ink slip from his grasp and fall to the dirt floor. The young man knelt down and laid face-first on the dirt, placing his hands over the back of his head.

Florina took a few tentative steps towards him.

"Um . . . what are you doing?" she squeeked.

"I figured if I lay down like this, it'd show you that I don't want to hurt you. I want to trust you," he spoke into the dirt. Florina was blown away. Was this a ruse? It had to be. X had to be faking.

"I'm going out on a limb here, Florina," X said. "I mean, you could pretty much kill me at any time; but think about this: You need me to get out of here," he explained, as the Peg. Knight reached for the Kéye Li'ink. Florina hesitated, before wrapping her fingers around the long hilt of the sword and lifting it up. It was surprisingly light; lighter even than her Slim lance.

A stab of uncertainty went through X. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. If Florina tried to kill him . . . well, he survived a berserker's arrow, but somehow X didn't think he could regrow a head.

"I . . . I trust you," Florina said slowly, fearful as usual. X smiled at the ground and got to his feet, dusting himself off.

"I'm glad," he said. "You can keep the Kéye Li'ink for now, if you want," he added, watching Florina. She nodded meekly, still watching the assassin with fearful eyes. The young boy hung his head in exasperation.

"Look, Florina- I realise I haven't been the most trustworthy of individuals. Yes, I killed the tactician. Yes, I nearly killed Guy- twice. But . . ." X was stuck for words. Florina watched him strangely.

"Never mind," he said bitterly. Florina felt more alone than ever, and walked slowly with him away from the pool of fire. The mountain hall seemed to be huge, and they passed many strange gaps in the walls, inciting X's curiosity.

"Hang on a sec, okay?" X said. "I'm gona check out what these holes are," Florina shook her head, but X had already darted off and around a corner.

There was a roaring sound, and a scream of pain. Florina's heart skipped a beat before X came hobbling back around the corner, with one leg charred and burnt. He bit his lip and nodded.

"They shoot fire," he said in a strained voice. Florina smiled at the assassin's comical expression, and X raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Sorry," Florina mumbled. X shook his head.

"Don't be sorry; it's already healing. Look," he said, pointing to his leg. Florina gaped in amazement; the charred flesh was crumbling away, and lacerations were closing up to reveal a brand new limb, as though nothing had ever happened.

" . . . How?" she uttered. X shrugged, watching her watch him.

"Not sure, really. I think my father-" he paused. "I think my _master_ gave me the power," he revised. Florina glanced at X's luminous blue eyes, wondering what mysteries were held within their depths. His father was his master? What?

X's head jerked up, and he looked around rapidly. He grabbed Florina's wrist and pulled her over to a clump of jagged rocks, concealing themselves behind it.

"Florina, I'll need the Kéye Li'ink now," X said, his voice tight. The Ilian felt a surprising surge of courage, and her grip tightened.

"No," she said wonderously. "Not until you explain what is going on. Not until you explain what has happened to me!" X's eyes widened.

"Keep your voice down!" he winced.

"No!" Florina shouted. "Why aren't I dead? Why have I been having those horrible preminitions? Why have you suddenly changed? _What is happening to me!_" she raged, resulting in X's hand being clamped over her mouth.

"Be quiet, or they'll find us!" he hissed, his blue eyes blazing like the fires that surrounded them. Florina nodded, and tears sprang to her eyes as her old personality reasserted itself. X would normally have felt sorrow at seeing Florina's tears, but he peered through a gap in the rocks instead.

A pair of cold yellow eyes were staring through the other side.

-----

Priscilla walked slowly through the camp, heading for a single tent at the very end. It wasn't a tent she'd normally go near; it wasn't a tent anyone but the Lord's or Lady would normally go near. The rest of the army had their doubts about her, but Lord Eliwood and the late tactician had placed their faith in her. And that should've been good enough for Priscilla.

The troubadour spared a sidewards glance, before nervously slipping into the tent of the wise woman, Hannah.

The old lady was bent over a table, inspecting shaped stones on a table and murmuring to herself. The tent reeked of some kind of incense; Priscilla almost enjoyed the smell. _It's actually rather nice_, she thought to herself.

"So, you like my incense?" Hannah said, giving the troubadour a start. The Etrurian nodded.

"Yes, it's quite pleasant," she said slowly, walking forward. The old lady gathered the stones from the table and swept them into a small red bag. The green-eyed lady was unsure of what to do.

"Well, sit down," Hannah said irritably. "I know you've come to see me for advice. What's the problem, Princess?" Priscilla opened her mouth in surprise.

"H-How did-" Hannah chuckled.

"My dear girl, if a womanising oaf like Sain can see it, then I don't have to be psychic to know that you're the daughter of Count Caerlon," she laughed. Priscilla felt embarrassed, now unsure if coming here was a good idea.

"Oh, don't worry," Hannah said. "I won't tell anyone. Now, to more important matters- what have you come here to tell me?" Priscilla nodded, and looked the old lady straight in her faded eyes.

"Lady Hannah, I'm assuming you've known of Florina for quite some time now," Priscilla began. Hannah frowned.

"So, you've learned of her premonitions, then?" she asked. Priscilla tilted her head in confusion.

"Florina has been having premonitions?" the troubadour asked. Hannah winced.

"Well, there's no sense keeping you in the dark any longer," she wheezed. "That young Pegasus Knight has been having premonitions for almost a fortnight now; since you left Caelin. They've gotten worse and worse, and they began to cause her physical harm. That's when I was about to step in," Hannah explained. "And then I heard she was . . . murdered?" Priscilla nodded.

"That's what I'm here to talk about," she said. "Do you remember the light? The silver light that went over everything; it was almost like liquid?" Hannah nodded.

"Indeed I do. It was quintessence; though not like any I've ever seen. It was . . different, somehow, as though the very fabric which created the quintessence had been watered down and . . knotted. Yes, knotted is the best word. The quintessence was weakened and twisted into a pattern I've never seen before," Hannah rambled to herself.

Priscilla's face was the perfect picture of someone who'd been lost at the first three words.

"Oh, never mind. I do ramble on a bit," Hannah said gently. Priscilla nodded slowly, trying to regain her train of thought.

"I was in the infirmary tent, doing a final autopsy on Florina's body. Her lips had turned blue, and one of the first thing a healer learns is that blue lips are an obvious sign that someone had been poisoned. But she hadn't been; the only possible cause of death I could find was a brief bout of trauma to the heart before it stopped. There was no foreign substance in the blood, and everything was as it should've been. I didn't understand it," Priscilla said hopelessly.

"And then that silver light came, and before I knew it, Florina was sitting up on the table bed and talking to me. It was like she'd never died," Priscilla said, slightly disbelieving. It had all happened right in front of her, but she could barely believe the tale _she_ was telling. Why on earth would an old lady like Hannah believe such a ludicrous thing?

"And then, about two minutes after she came back, her body disappeared. It just faded into nothing; and I know it wasn't a hallucination because I was hugging her at the time, and I felt her. Then she was gone," Priscilla finished lamely. Hannah frowned, deep in thought. Priscilla felt herself flush with shame. Why had she even come here? She'd known she was going to make a fool of herself!

"I apologise sincerely for wasting your time," Priscilla said hastily. "I should be leaving."

"No," Hannah said firmly, causing the Etrurian to sit back down in her chair. "You did not waste my time, young lady. On the contrary, you have brought very valuable knowledge to my attention," she added. Priscilla nodded weakly.

"Now you may go," Hannah said with a laugh. "And ease up a little!"

The troubadour hurried out of the tent and down the path, still not entirely sure if seeing Hannah had been such a brilliant idea in the first place.

Hannah snuffed the incense with one swift wave of her hand. Slowly, she closed her wrinkled eyes and concentrated. There were strange events about to unfold.

-----

X gave a shout, and a black-covered hand punched through the rocks and grabbed the teenager by the throat, lifting him into the air and throwing him across the floor.

The creature drifted over to the boy. It was tall, unnaturally so, with cold yellow eyes, so like a morph's. It seemed to be comprised of shadow, and a pair of armoured hands served as weapons. X rose to his feet and stared at the demon. In fact, through Florina's eyes he seemed to be talking to it.

"I'm not going back," he said firmly. The creature made no sound, but X furrowed his brow.

"I don't care what you're orders are. My master can go to blazes- he gave birth to me, after all." The dark creature didn't change, but the atmosphere betrayed a serious malevolence. X subtly reached for the Kéye Li'ink.

"You know I was a mistake; a mistake he wants to rectify," X spat. "Well, tell your master this: I am my own person, and no longer my father's slave!"

The assassin swung the Kéye Li'ink through the neck of the demon; it exploded in black smoke, dissipating immediately. X spat on the ground where the creature had stood.

"Crappy minions," he said venomously, looking back at the bundle of rocks. Florina's aqua eyes were filled with tears, and X walked slowly over to the Pegasus Knight and embraced her.

"I'm truly sorry for everything," he whispered in her ear, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. "I'll explain everything in due time."

Florina nodded, amazed at the change that had taken place. Where once soulless murderer was, now lay a kind-hearted teenage boy who wanted to make things better.

The Kéye Li'ink began to quiver on the rocks, the clattering sound drawing their attention. X looked away to see a large number of dark creatures advancing, and his shoulder's sagged.

"I'm getting really, really tired of this," he said. Florina looked at him, then to the dark creatures. X grabbed Florina's hand and began to back away, until their feet were at the edge of the pool of liquid fire. The pool that Florina fell in every time she had a premonition. The Pegasus Knight looked at the lava and screamed.

X held Florina's hand and tried to stop the young girl from fidgeting, eventually grabbing her in a bear hug and pressing his forehead to hers.

"Florina!" he barked. "Florina, listen to me. I'm good, alright? I'm good at what I do, but _I cannot defeat that many of my father's minions_. We have to jump into the fire," he said harshly. Florina opened her mouth to argue, to cry, but the look in X's eyes shut off any challenge.

"I know things are different this time around," he said quickly, aware of the advancing shadows. "I know you're literally dead; I know you're scared. You've been preserved by a miracle, and you're scared that you've used up eight of your nine lives. Well guess what: I have plenty left. And you've seen me; I'm not like other people. You have got to trust me, Florina. Do you?" he asked. Florina's world was silent; dumbly, she nodded.

X's eyes were sorrowful.

"Goodbye," he said sadly, and he gave her a light push, sending the young girl toppling into the lava. Florina shrieked as the liquid fire washed over her face, sending her heart into overdrive and her pain sensors off the scale. Through the cacaphony, she could barely hear two words.

"Remember me," X shouted, as he slew the closest of the dark creatures. Florina couldn't take it anymore; she gave up and allowed the blackness to overtake her.

The assassin spared a backwards glance at the pool of magma; all that was left was Florina's cream hand, floating gently above the flames. X felt guilty at having to take such extreme measures, but he had to protect her.

The teenager swung the Kéye Li'ink hard, slaying two more of the demons, but they had surrounded him, pressing closer in a suffocating throng, until he felt himself being forced under and coated in shadow.

_Dang,_ he thought to himself. _But I won't be gone long. So long as I live, and St. Elimine rules, I will return. No prison can hold me for long._

The dark creatures swarmed until no sight of X was left, before fading into nothingness, taking X with them.

All that remained was the Kéye Li'ink, coated in a sticky black substance like tar.

-----

Florina tumbled through a black and fiery abyss, allowing herself to slip away. It didn't matter anymore, she didn't care. All the pain and the hardships, and the fear . . . it just wasn't worth it anymore.

A gigantic maw of flame opened beneath her, but before she could crumble, a ball of light enveloped her and whisked her away.

Though the Pegasus Knight couldn't remember much, there was a nearly blissful feeling, and the light pulsed through her core again. Florina looked giddily at her hands; the veins were raised and prominent, with the shining substance flowing through them again. But for the first time since the condition had been acquired, Florina didn't care. It felt so nice . . .

The light faded, and dumped her unceremoniously on the dirt floor. Florina looked around her curiously; she was back in the mountain hall. Back where she had started.

Except all that was left of X and the creatures was a goo-covered Kéye Li'ink.

Florina crawled over to the sword and touched it tentatively. Not the wisest move; the black goo burned like acid and ate away at her fingers. She flinched, motoring backwards until she collided with another object. Florina looked behind her and saw that the object was a person; she scrambled to her feet, mumbling apologies. Slowly, she looked at the person's indentity and nearly fainted. The ceremonial green robes, the slightly-too-large chest, the lavender hair and crisp blue eyes . . . Florina almost choked on her name.

"Kaira?"

IceBlade28: Cliffhanger!

Serra: May St. Elimine curse you and your cliffhangers.

IceBlade28: You dissin' me, punk?

Serra: No.

IceBlade28: That's what I thought. Now be a good little muse and tell them about the next chapter.

Serra: In the next chapter: Kent has been captured, and Lyn interrogates him before the official court marshal. Lyn already knows the truth about Florina, but in order to keep Florina's condition a secret, will she let her most faithful cavalier be executed? But no body, no case, right? Will Priscilla stay silent? The _Davros_ finally makes landfall, too. And in the mountain hall, Florina has been given a choice: she will be allowed to bring one person, and _only_ one person back to life. Kaira was her good friend, and yet Florina's heart has slowly leant towards Guy . . . Next time, Chapter XV: Death and Rebirth!

IceBlade28: Well spoken.

Serra: Thank you. Reviews everyone! Much appreciated!

IceBlade28: And, the character who gets the most votes will be brought back- meaning, if enough votes come in, even Dorcas or Wil could come back! It is your choice: will Kaira come back from the dead, will Guy be resurrected, will Dorcas be revived, or shall Wil be reborn? You must review to vote!

Serra: R&R people!


	15. Chapter XV: Death and Rebirth

IceBlade28: Well, the votes are in!

Serra: Ooh! Ooh! Can I tell them?

IceBlade28: Very well- you can do the honours.

Serra: Yay! In last place, with absolutely zero votes is . . . . . . . . Dorcas!

Dorcas: So I don't get to see Natalie again?

IceBlade28: No. The readers don't like you. Go away.

Dorcas: Rats. disappears in poof of smoke.

Serra: In 3rd place, with one votes, surprisingly . . . . Guy!

Guy: Huh? You mean I don't get to see Priscilla again?

IceBlade28: Probably not. Unless I do the annoying Author Twist and get Florina to let you come back. You two _were_ hitting it off pretty well . . .

Guy: So, we're looking at a one in four chance?

IceBlade28: More like one in a million.

Guy: . . . . . . . . . So you're saying there's a chance . . . . . _Yes_!

IceBlade28: sweatdrops. Okay, next.

Serra: In second place, with three votes . . . . . . . Wil!

Wil: Hey, I came second? Not bad!

IceBlade28: Yep. And in first place, with a landslide four votes, the lovely large-chested lady . . . Tactician Kaira!

Kaira: So I'm coming back? Not as a zombie, I hope?

IceBlade28: Again, yep. You shall return from the grave. Unless I do the annoying Author Twist thing. You never know with me . . . heh heh heh.

Kaira: You mean, even though the viewers voted for me, I might not come back?

IceBlade28: Maaayyyybe. gets biotch-slapped by Kaira.

IceBlade28: Owies.

X: You shouldn't have crossed her. Hell hath no fury and all that.

IceBlade28: Hey, what the heck are you doing here!

X: Watchin' and laughing.

IceBlade28: You should be back in the non-spoiler-related-prison-you-were-taken-to!

X: Awww, do I have to? That place sucks.

IceBlade28: Yes. Otherwise the fic could screw up. Just be a good sword-wielding assassin and go back to the non-spoiler-related-place-you-came-from.

X: Dang. does cool assassin-vanishing-without-a-trace-thingie.

IceBlade28: Right. Serra, get started on the review of last chapter.

Serra: Okay! Last chappie: I got hold an _adorable_ lil' Erk plushie, until a giant horde of fangirls stole it from me!

Dart and Matthew managed to temper Fargus' berserk wrath- and probably stopped him from havin' any kids, due to a powerful kick in the crotch. With steel-toed boots. You are just evil, Taylor.

IceBlade28: Heh heh heh. Sucker.

Serra: Within the inner chambers of the Dragon's Gate, Lyn was inspecting the comatose body of X, while Eliwood was still coming to terms with his father's death. Lyn also made a silent pact to make X pay- interrogation would be a definite when he woke up.

Within Florina's tent, Kent had gone a little bye-bye when Sain and Bartre showed up. Kent was to be held indefinitely until his court marshal for the murder of his comrade. Bartre, being Bartre, screwed the job up, and Kent managed to defeat both him and Sain and made a break for it. Long story short, he got clothes-lined by Oswin's lance and got knocked unconscious.

Florina came to within the same mountain hall her premonitions took place in. X was also there, with his Kéye Li'ink, though his outfit had changed. The teenage male now wore a simple grey jacket, with shirt and leggings to match. His hair was short and brown, and his eyes seemed bluer.

It was clear his personality had changed too; the assassin quickly befriended Florina. X also showed his talent for self-healing when he found out what the holes in the wall do. (Shoot fire, in case you'd forgotten). Florina was getting agitated when X stalled; he was about to reveal the truth when a shadowy demon creature appeared from nowhere.

Priscilla decided to talk to Hannah about the disappearance of Florina's body, and found out that the diminuitive Peg. Knight had been having a little more psychic trouble than first met the eye.

Finally, X decided to face off to the shadow creature, and through Florina's eyes he actually held a conversation with it, in which a juicy spoiler was revealed to the patient reader. (A spoiler _other_ than the obvious one.)

Eventually, the shadow creature and X lost their tempers and X slew the demon with a single stroke of the Kéye Li'ink. Unfortunately, hindsight tends to be 20-20; he'd P.O'ed the creature and it returned, with many more of itself.

After a few heartfelt words to Florina, he shoved her into the molten fire and attacked the hordes of creatures, even though he had no hope of winning. Eventually, they overwhelmed X and assimilated him into their ranks, evaporating and taking him to an unknown location.

Florina fell through an abyss of flame, and finally decided to give up. It just wasn't worth it; the pain, the premonitions, the horror and death- she just gave up and allowed herself to fall into the fire. It was at that lowest point that a ball of light enveloped her and whisked her away, finally dumping her on the ground back in the mountain hall. All that was left of X's scuffle was an acidy-tar-covered Kéye Li'ink. There, Florina bumped into an old friend- an old friend with crisp blue eyes, lavender hair and green robes.

Serra: And just because he's evil, Taylor isn't going to go to that part of the adventure first- he's gonna stall.

IceBlade28: Indeedy-doody. But, this first part will make a certain fan coughLeggyKiyoshinshacough somewhat happy.

Serra: Start the fic!

**Chapter XV: Death and Rebirth**

Legault stalked happily through the camp. Even though he was walking casually, thieves didn't 'walk' or 'jog'. They crept and stalked. And it just so happened that this particularly skilled thief was stalking into a place he did not belong: Lyn's tent. Even though going where they didn't belong was what a thief was meant to do.

Legault slipped into Lyn's tent happily, intent on finding some information out about his new employer. His eyes began to search the tent; immediately he ascertained that she was Lycian royalty. Marquess or Lord or something; maybe even Princess. He crept over to a spare set of Sacaen robes and opened a flap. Without even having to look, he located the bag of gold, snatched it, and secured it in a small pocket on the inside of his sleeve. It looked like his new employer was rich, too. Maybe the Hurricane should start charging for his 'services'.

A finger tapped him lightly on the shoulder; Legault's frame stiffened.

"Well done, milady," he said awkwardly. "You must be skilled indeed if you can sneak up on a thief-"

Contrary to Legault's belief, it was not Lyn, but Hector.

"Lady?" Hector said, his massive Wolf Beil in his hands. "I didn't think I was _that _feminine." Legault winced.

"Well, this _is_ Lady Lyndis' tent, so I naturally thought-"

"That you'd be an intruder?" Hector said angrily. Legault raised an eyebrow; it looked comical with the scar over his eye.

"If the tent of a woman is so sacred, why are _you_ here?" the thief asked slyly. Hector took a step back.

"I saw you come in first!" he accused. Legault shook his head.

"It's all very well to point fingers, but in reality- Lady Lyndis, what a pleasant surprise."

"Save it, Legault," Lyn snapped, having just entered her tent. "I don't care what you were doing in here, but if you don't shift yourself out, I'll throw you out by the seat of your pants- I've had plenty of practice with Matthew." she growled. Legault wisely nodded, and shifted himself smart-like. Hector watched the thief go with a sour look on his face.

"Any reason you're here?" Lyn asked Hector. The axeman shook his head.

"I was just following him," he said innocently. Lyn sighed and sat down on her bed.

"I've just got so much to deal with right now: I've got a cavalier that may have committed murder, the unconscious body of an assassin that's been dogging us since Caelin, my best friend's supposedly-dead body has disappeared, half the camp are at each other's throats, and I miss Kaira so much . . ." she said, sudden grief causing a lump in her throat. Hector sat down next to her, and placed a hand on her back in a comforting gesture.

"I always wondered how she managed to cope with such a workload," Hector reminisced. "I guess there must've been a few grey hairs in with the lavender ones, huh?" he added in a sudden burst of humour. Lyn managed to smile through a few tears, and wiped them away.

"I will do no more grieving," she said. "Kaira is dead, she's gone. And she's not coming back."

If only she knew how those words would haunt her.

-----

Kent's eyes fluttered open, and he looked up. Surprisingly, he was sitting; his arms had been chained around a stone flagpole in the courtyard of the Dragon's Gate. Next to him was the hooded figure of X, slumped over and unconscious.

"Hey!" Kent called, pulling on his chains. "What's going on?" Sain was sitting nearby, with his sword in it's scabbard.

"Ah, you're awake," he said. "Lady Lyn wanted to question you before the court marshal. I'm afraid there isn't much you can do- you _were_ found with Florina's body in your arms." Kent shook his head.

"_She was already dead_!" he shouted. "I _found_ her like that, for Elimine's sake!" He hung his head in defeat.

"What has my life come to?" he mumbled. "Am I to be tried for a murder I did not commit?" Sain sat on the dirt near Kent, placing an arm on his knee.

"Well, I will admit it that I never thought you could do something like that," he said. "You've been the epitome of chivalry and discipline and blah, blah, blah," Sain said with a grin. "But there is a slight break in your case," he added with a frown.

"A break? Please explain," Kent said, his brow furrowed. "But before you do, tell me why I'm chained next to this lout!" he complained, nudging X's body. Sain shrugged.

"Lady Lyn brought him back. Apparently something weird happened inside the Gate, and she decided to bring him back here, so we can keep an eye on him and interrogate him when he wakes up," Sain explained. "If he ever wakes up. Personally, I think he's dead." Kent looked at X for a moment, before turning back to the Green Lance.

"And the break in my case?" Kent asked.

"Ah, yes. I learned about this from that lovely healer, Priscilla. And I must say, I watched her walk away and she has the most lovely, and surprisingly prominent, rear-"

"Sain!" Kent said, shocked. The cavalier grinned.

"You know me, partner. I can't help it. I think Priscilla gets it to such a size from riding that horse of hers-" The look from Kent was priceless- both shock, disbelief, and a little bit of disgust. Sain laughed.

"Sorry, my boon companion. I couldn't resist. But I'll get to the point. Anyway, while I was talking to this gorgeous Etrurian maiden, she told me a delectable little secret- it seems that she was performing an autopsy on Florina's body when that wave of silver light hit. Do you remember it?" he asked. Kent nodded.

"Well, apparently it seemed to have a Lazarus effect on the dearly-departed Florina. According to Priscilla, she came back to life."

"Back to . . ."

"Yes. But the effect didn't seem to last for long; about two minutes after this miracle, Florina basically evaporated." Kent looked confused.

"Evaporated?" he echoed.

"That's the way I heard it," Sain said. "It was something magic-based. Florina simply . . . ceased to be. And now there's no body. So technically: no body, no case." Kent looked rejoiceful.

"Still, it's quite a technicality, and I'm not sure if you'll get off on it," Sain said. "In any case, you've got at least one person backing you-" he held out his hand. "-partner," he added. Kent managed to stretch his hand just far enough to shake his long-time friend's hand.

"Maybe I'll actually get out of this, huh?" he said wonderously. Sain shook his head.

"As much as I hate to say it, not a chance. You'll only get out on Lyn's good word." Kent sunk back against the pole.

"Blazes," he said. Sain smirked at his companion, and glanced away.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but a true vision of wonderment is calling me to her side," he said poetically, striding off and running a hand through his hair. Kent looked in the direction the Green Lance was walking; Rebecca was sitting on a log, looking a little lost.

Kent glanced at X and bit his lip, wondering just what was going on inside the mind of this teenage boy . . .

-----

X appeared in a burst of light in a dank prison cell. There was virtually no light, and the walls were slick and covered in grime. The assassin looked down; he was still in his grey jacket, shirt and leggings.

"Well, this is a nice place to be," he said aloud. He walked forward, wincing at the squelches coming from the goop and sludge on the floor. He winced even more when he lost his footing and got the muck all over his clothes.

"Aw, man," he moaned, getting up. "This stuff is nasty!" Through a miracle, X made his way to the door of his cell without falling down again.

"Hey Father!" he bellowed, worming his face through the bars. "Guess what- you're mistake is here, and he's gonna be leaving real soon too!"

"Quiet down, scum!" spat a guard, resting on a bench nearby. It was a Warrior- a big one too. And he was dead; half-rotted flesh clung sparsely to a greying skull. His eyeballs rolled in their sockets, unblinking and eerie. X sized the Warrior up dubiously. X thought he could take him in hand-to-hand combat . . . just. Then the assassin spotted the axe hanging from the rack on the wall. It was a real piece of work; jagged double-blades, with a spearhead on the tip of the shaft. And it was just plain big.

X immediately adjusted his assesment. When he got out of this nasty prison cell, if the Warrior brought that axe off the wall, he was as dead as the Pegasi of Fiora's squadron. Probably deader, 'cause there'd be _nothing_ left if he was hit by that monster of a thing, even with his power to heal himself.

"Yo, you," X said, talking at the guard. "What's your name?"

"Shkraagle," said Shkraagle.

"Well, Shkraagle," said X, pulling a face at the Warrior's name. "How would you react if I managed to escape this cell?" Shkraagle snorted.

"That's impossible," said the zombie. "That cell's bin specially created to supress the magic in your system. Meaning your healing power's gone. And we confiscated all your toys, in case you hurt yourself," he added with a grin. There were no teeth in it; but there was a live worm. X felt nauseated.

"So it's gonna take a song and dance to get out of here, huh," he said to himself.

"Eh? You ain't really singin' are you?" Shkraagle said, unsure. X laughed.

"It's an expression, you zombie dolt," he said. "However . . . how much magic would you say enriches the air here?" Shkraagle scratched his skull with a bony finger.

"I'd say quite a lot, since it's enough to stop you usin' your powers," he suggested. X did a few quick calculations in his head, and came up with a positive answer. In fact, he barely stopped himself from getting teary with laughter.

X walked up to the bars, where the Warrior was watching him curiously. The boy waved a hand gracefully at the bars.

"Break," he said quietly. And they did. The rusty iron bars bent outwards, with an agonised groan, before snapping and flying out from their supports. It caused a lot of noise and a surprising amount of mess.

". . . Cool," X said, surprised. Shkraagle just stood there, with his icky mouth hanging open. (a/n: I used the word icky. What has this world come to?)

"Hey!" Shkraagle said, unsure of how to react. "Y-You can't do that!" X stepped gingerly out of the prison cell.

"I can and I did. Why?" he asked smugly. Shkraagle reached behind him and unhooked the axe from the wall.

"You'll stay back in that cell, or I'll carve you a new one," he amended, brandishing the nasty-looking axe. X's eyes widened; taking on an undead Warrior wielding an axe almost bigger than he was was not in his Top Ten of 'Things to Do.'

_What the blazes_, X figured. Even though his healing powers had been revoked, X decided to get him.

"I must be out of my mind," X said. Preparing himself, he let out a howl and attacked. Shkraggle laughed, and swung that massive axe. Once was all it took.

X dropped to his hip, sliding a little too quickly on the grime that he was covered in. The phrase 'greased lightning' comes to mind, because he shot straight through Shkraagle's legs and collided with the wall behind him.

Wasting no time, X half-scrambled, half-slid back over to Shkraagle's body and put a foot through the back of his brittle skull. A foul smell emerged, and something green bubbled up around X's boot.

"You've gotta be kidding," he gagged, staggering to the stone stairs. "I'm gonna kill my father. I have to wash this stuff, you mongrel!" he bellowed up the stone stairs. The reply was a sizzling fire arrow, which took X through the head.

The assassin fell back limply, shattering into a million baubles of light on the stone floor below.

-----

Eliwood stood quietly at the casket of his father.

"Father, I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't save you, I couldn't save the Knights of Pherae . . . I wasn't strong enough. And I ask that you forgive me for this."

"He does, Lord Eliwood," said a voice by the doorway. The forlorn redhead turned to find Fiora leaning by the doorway.

"Fiora," Eliwood said. "Forgive me, I was just, um . . ." Fiora smiled.

"It's alright. I'll give you two some time together," she said understandingly. Eliwood glance briefly at his father's coffin, before rising and walking towards the Pegasus Knight.

"No, it's okay. Um . . what brings you here?" the youth said. Fiora sighed.

"You are aware, I'm assuming, of the situation involving my sister's . . ." her throat suddenly got a lump. Fiora hated that lump. It wasn't just a lump of grief; it was a lump of failure. Fiora had failed Hanasu, and now she'd failed Florina. The Ilian thought she'd gotten over Florina's death- she was wrong.

"Yes, I'm aware," Eliwood said gently, not wanting to bring up a delicate subject. "I know it's hard." Fiora mustered up some superhuman strength and managed to swallow the lump, allowing her to speak.

"Lord Eliwood, do you know the entire story?" Fiora gasped. Eliwood nodded.

"You mean the cavalier's involvement? Sir Kent's involvement?" Eliwood guessed. Fiora nodded.

"I want him dead," she said vehemently. "I thought he was a disciplined young man; I thought he was kind, chivalrous, attractive-" Fiora cursed silently for letting that last one slip.

"He murdered my sister. I don't care what anyone else said- I want him _dead_," Fiora spat. Eliwood's shoulders sagged.

"Fiora, I almost don't want to say this . . ." he said. The Ilian's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me he's going _free_!" she shouted. Eliwood shook his head.

"No. I've just finished talking with Lyndis- Kent will be executed at this time tomorrow. Unless irrefutable evidence surfaces by then, we'll be one less horseman short," Eliwood said, defeated. Fiora was unsure how to interpret this.

". . . G-Good," she stammered. "It's a fate he deserves." She didn't sound too sure of her own words. Eliwood tried in vain to smile; it came out as a dejected grimace.

"You should go," he said at last. Fiora nodded, her feelings tumultuous.

"Yes, Lord Eliwood," she managed, before turning and running from the tent. Eliwood watched her go, before sitting down hard.

Kent would be executed at this time tomorrow.

-----

Florina gaped in amazement at the figure before her.

"Never thought I'd find you here," Kaira said. "How'd it happen to you?" Florina was confused.

"Happen to me?" she asked, a little fearful.

"I mean, how'd you die?" Kaira revised, giving Florina a hand to her feet. "It's a pity I had to meet you, though. Lyn is gonna be so mad." Florina sniffed, and tears came to her eyes.

"Lyn . . ." she mumbled, feeling the familiar tears start to slide down her cheeks. Kaira came over and gave her a gentle hug, her robes easily eclipsing the figure of Florina.

"There, there," she said comfortingly. "I know it's a bit of a shock. We all went through the same thing; Guy was crushed when he found out he couldn't see- ow!" she said suddenly. Florina drew away from Kaira's figure. The tactician had a hand to her heart, and was doubled over. More importantly, her form was flickering, like a candle's flame in a light breeze. The aura surrounding her grew hazy, and sent out little bolts of electricity.

"A-Are you okay?" Florina asked meekly. Kaira didn't move for a second, but she soon stood up. All traces of pain were gone, and she seemed solid again.

"Yeah, I should be fine. It's been happening a few times," the tactician said. Florina nodded weakly, but her attention was soon grabbed by another familar face.

"Florina!" Guy cried, running over. "It's so good to see you! Well, I mean it's not _good_ to see you, now you're dead, but . . ." Florina tried to smile, but her heart wasn't in it.

"Wh . . . where am I?" she whispered. Kaira placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, let me establish this: You're dead. As for this place . . . well, it isn't Elimine's heaven or anything. I think this is the waiting place," Kaira postulated.

"Waiting place?" Florina echoed.

"You know, the waiting place. Where the souls of dead people go while they're- ahh! Geez!" she cried, as her form flickered again. It was worse this time, and for a precious second, Kaira's entire body disappeared. But again, the flickering and the rampant energy dispersed, allowing the tactician to stand back up and shake an angry fist at the ceiling of the cave.

"I'm getting tired of this!" she yelled. Florina just stared with wide eyes.

"This is the waiting place where souls go to while they're awaiting judgement. The only problem is, there's a mountain of souls waiting before us. So, we're pretty much hanging out here. This is our afterlife," Kaira explained.

"I had the opportunity to talk with my great-great-grandfather," Dorcas added, coming over. "It was nice," he added simply.

"And it was nice to have some company," said another girl. The Ilian looked quickly at the unfamiliar girl; she had pink hair and a cocksure confidence around her.

"How's Matthew?" Leila asked. Florina shrugged.

"Oh . . . h-he's been gone for a long time. Something happened on the ship we came on; he disappeared when we were ha-halfway to the Dread Isle," Florina said. Leila frowned, and a glimmer of worry appeared in her eyes.

"I hope he's alright," she said, concerned. "I mean, it is Matthew, so I'm sure he will be, but still . . ." Florina smiled at the Ostian spy.

"I'm sure h-he'll be alright," she said, a little unsure of her own words. Leila nodded.

"I . . I loved him," she said awkwardly. "If I saw him again, here . . . I don't know how I'd react," she added, her eyes clouded. Florina nodded again at the cheerful spy.

"I have something to say," the Ilian added. Florina almost looked shocked. The words had just come tumbling out of her mouth- she hadn't wanted to say them! It was like someone was speaking through her.

"My premonitions have grown disturbed and powerful. It was through these dreams that I am here now. I have been delegated this one task: one of you will be sent back," Florina proclaimed, her eyes blazing. The light faded quickly, and the lowered her head in shame.

"Sent back?" said Wil, the last to join the group. "What do you mean?" But Florina was crying already. She knew what she had to do . . . but who could she choose? Would they hate her for her choice? Surely they each had loved ones they wanted to see again. Leila had Matthew, Dorcas had Natalie, Wil had his parents . . . she couldn't _do_ this!

"I can't do this!" she wept. "I can't . . . I can't play Elimine! I can't decide who comes back, and who dies! It's not my place; it's not my _choice_!" she wailed, burying her face in her hands. Kaira had already worked out what she meant, and her heart went out to the little girl. Really, it did: it was a choice Kaira herself would have had difficulty making, even with all her tactical experience. It must have been tearing Florina apart.

"Are there any volunteers to stay behind?" Kaira asked. Before the reaction came, the tactician added, "It's not my place to decide this; it isn't anyone's. It isn't fair that Florina has to make this decision on her own. So, I ask you now: are there any among you who would stay behind?"

The tactician watched them all, but her own emotional struggle was forgotten as the wave hit her again, and she collapsed to the ground. Tiny sparks were flying from her form, and she flickered chaotically.

"It's never been _this_ bad," Leila said, crouching by Kaira's side. The form of the tactician vanished for a good five seconds, before returning gradually, to the way she was before.

"You're still with us?" Leila asked. The tactician groaned, and pulled herself to her feet.

"Guess so," Leila laughed.

All at once, Florina understood what was going on.

"It's your body . . ." the Ilian whispered incredibly. "Your physical body . . it's not dead yet. You're still alive; your body's trying to call it's soul back!" she cried. Kaira got to her feet painfully, shaking her head.

"Florina, I know you want to believe it, but that is completely impossible. This choice won't be getting easier for you; I'm not going to vanish back into my own body," Kaira snorted. She kept that expression until she saw the faces of the rest of them.

"Oh, come on! I was cut through the neck, nearly gutted, stabbed through the heart _and_ buried alive! And now you have the nerve to tell me I'm still _alive_!" she said incredulously. "That's not only impractical, it's just silly!" But if anything, it was Florina's tearful eyes that softened her heart.

"There's only one explanation for survival of this: you are important," Dorcas said. "You are important to the destiny of many; this is why Elimine is preserving you. As they say, you are a child of destiny," he said solemnly.

"I shall stay," he added. "But please: apologise to Natalie for me. I'm afraid I won't be coming home." Florina nodded.

"Anyone else?" she said, almost inaudibly. Wil looked at the ground, and heaved a deep sigh.

"I guess I'll stay too," he said sadly. "Look after Rebecca for me, and tell her I said hi, alright?" he asked. Leila shook her head.

"I can't stay here," she said. "There's information I need to give Hector . . . and I won't give up on Matthew," Leila added, her eyes watering. "And I want to get back at the scum who killed me."

"Don't tell me X did you in too!" Kaira cried. Leila raised an eyebrow.

"The guy in the green cloak?"

"Yeah."

"No. If it wasn't for this X fellow, I wouldn't have survived anywhere near as long as I did. I think he's dead, actually . . . I almost made it, thanks to him." Kaira shook her head in wonderment.

"If I _ever_ get my hands on him, I'm gonna ask him _why_ he's being so picky-choosy, and then I'm going to _wring his little neck_!" Kaira screeched. Florina took a few steps back. Leila managed to catch Florina's eyes, and her gaze fell. Leila nodded; just once.

"T-Then I guess I pick . . ." Florina stammered. Kaira's eyes blazed, and she willed Florina not to make a mistake. The mistake that could haunt her a lifetime.

" . . . Guy," Florina said, almost inaudibly. The tactician nodded, satisfied. The myrmidon barely had time to blink before he was enveloped with light.

"I . . I'm going home!" he said joyously, but his happy voice turned to screams. Streaks of fire emerged from nowhere and merged with the ball of light, creating almost a cocoon of shrieking fire and holiness. The ball cavorted across the ceiling, growing more and more agitated, before it extinguished itself with the sound of roaring water.

Guy had vanished.

"You made the right choice, Florina-" Kaira whispered, before a lance of light struck her through the chest. Florina's eyes seemed eerily luminated, and the invisible veins on her face were bulged and swollen with a shimmering substance. Kaira watched Florina for a second, wondering why her eyes were so familiar. Then it hit her.

They were glowing like the last pair of eyes she had seen: the eyes of the assassin that had killed her.

"Soul," Florina commanded. "Ye shall be purged, and thrust back into the vessel from which ye came!"

Kaira nodded solemnly.

"So let it be done," she intoned, before shimmering like phosphorence on the water. Dorcas and Wil watched the magic ritual from a short distance away, their jaws agape. Kaira looked directly at them before slumping on the floor, and shattering into a thousand tiny globules of light.

It wasn't long before Florina too vanished, in the like manner that Kaira disappeared.

The two remaining Caelin soldiers (and Ostian spy) just gaped at the emptiness where three of their friends had dwelled. And they kept gaping. Leila was wrapped up in her own thoughts; her last chance to see Matthew again had vanished, and she couldn't help but wonder if the price she had paid was too high.

" . . . . . . . . . So now what?" Wil asked.

-----

On the shores of the Dread Isle, a thick fog slipped over the beach. The mist crept along the waters, preventing a single vessel from seeing the Isle.

Beneath a single stone marker, something stirred. Was it something holy, or was it something restored by dark and evil magicks?

A fist exploded through the sand.

IceBlade28: I had to do it. I'm sorry- I had to do it! is mugged and beaten by angry muses. _Cliffhanger!_

Serra: Blast you! Blast you and your cliffhangers!

IceBlade28: Yep. I can tell many of my fans are getting their voodoo dolls out; and not to do nice things. Now be a good little cleric and tell them about the next chapter.

Serra: Fine. But not before this. belts IceBlade28 with lethal Heal staff.

IceBlade28: Owies.

Serra: Good. Now:

Next time, on Person's Unknown: Kent is about to be executed for the murder of Florina. Can Priscilla overcome her trials and speak up? Or will Kent be killed for a crime he didn't commit? The _Davros_ makes landfall, and Matthew finds out about Leila. Plus, we find out what happened to X! Tune in next time, for Chapter XVI: Innocence in Death!

IceBlade28: Not too bad, Serra. You're getting pretty good at this.

Serra: Thank you. Review, everyone! And thanks for reading Person's Unknown!

**Bonus Deleted Scene:**

IceBlade28: 'Cause I was feeling wacky when I wrote this chapter, I decided to have X do a Broadway rip-off in the jail. Feel free to disregard it or even to read it and shake your heads pityingly. Or laugh. Laughing is good.

In fact, he barely stopped himself from getting teary with laughter. He couldn't believe he was about to do this.

X turned his back to the Warrior, facing the grimy cage.

"Okay," he said to the air. "We're looking at a typical Broadway-style musical riff; watch me for the changes and try to keep up," X said aloud.

"Eh?" Shkraagle said, confused. Was the boy losing it already? But X had spun on the spot, and was kneeling on the spot, his hands clasped together in the classic pleading position. And cheery music began from nowhere; it was quite creepy. (Note: Sing to 'Gee, Officer Krupke', from West Side Story).

"Deeeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrr-" X sang slowly, before speeding up. "-kindly Zombie Shkraagle, you know I'm quite upset. I never got the love that every child oughta get! My father is a junkie, and he might just be a drunk! What the blazes, of course I'm a punk!"

Shkraagle just watched open-mouthed at the singing youth, dancing quite effectively on the spot. Shkraagle chuckled grossly, sitting back on the bench and content to watch the show. Until X flicked his hand at the cell bars- they bent apart, allowing the youth easy access outside his cage.

"Hey!" Shkraagle yelled, but he was set upon by a singing assassin.

"Geeeeeeeee, kindly Zombie Shkraagle, my parents treat me rough:" X sang, sitting complacently next to the undead man.

"With all the grog they're slurping, they treat me kinda rough! I had to live from worms and soup 'cause I ran away from home! Elimine's name, I'm worn out to the bone!" X sang happily, jumping into Shkraagle's arms. The music played contentedly in the background, and before the Warrior could react X had bounced out of his arms and was lying on the bench, classical 'therapist patient' position.

"Myyyyyyyy daddy beats my mommy, my mommy clobbers me- My grandpa is a Sniper, my grandma pushes tea! My sister wears a moustache, my brother wears a dress!" X sang woefully, but still rather quickly. "Blood of Roland, that's why I'm a mess!" he added, springing to his feet and standing before the laughing Warrior.

Shkraagle was still smiling as his jaw was broken and his own axe buried in his gut. X had stopped singing and was now teary with laughter.

"I've always wanted to do that," he laughed, sitting on the bench for support. The assassin shook his head, amazed at his own accomplishment.

"And I don't think I wanna do that again," he added as an afterthought. Regardless of all, the music was still playing from the dank within of X's former prison cell.

"Oh, knock it off," the boy said to the cell. "The song's over now, you idiot." The music abruptly ceased. X shook his head at the entire scene.

"That was surreal," he jibed, before walking calmly down the corridor.

IceBlade28: Thus ends the Deleted Scene. Review!


	16. Chapter XVI: Innocence in Death

IceBlade28: Well, I figured it was about time to send out another chapter of Person's Unknown! Especially due to all the people who've voiced their opinions!

Serra: Thank you so much for all the reviews!

IceBlade28: Yes! The reviews! You've given 65 in just fifteen chapters- I'm so proud of you all! Not to mention 3000+ hits!

Serra: He's a little excited- sugar high.

IceBlade28: Anyway, I've had a _lot_ of reviews stating they want Kent to live. But, I also got more reviews for Wil to come back than Guy, so . . .

Serra: You've _got_ to be kidding me!

IceBlade28: I might not be.

Serra: I can see why your readers hate you.

IceBlade28!!!

Serra: Oops.

IceBlade28: You'd better stay quiet for the rest of this summary. Oh, wait- you're Serra. There's a better chance of triggering the apocalypse than shutting you up.

Serra: Hey!

IceBlade28: It's true. Now just do the summary.

Serra: Fine. Anyway, last chapter:

After a massive breakout of random characters having their say about the votes, and Taylor getting biotch-slapped by the tactician, the fic kinda began.

Legault was sneaking around in Lyn's tent- and if he got caught, he was bound to get walloped. The Hurricane managed to swipe a bag of gold from Lyn's robe pocket before getting busted by Hector of all people. While the two were arguing, Lyn came into her tent and saw the two of them conversing. Simply put, she kicked Legault out without frisking him, so he got away with her gold. Hector stayed for a bit, and Lyn had a little depressing moment because of the immense amount of difficulties she'd faced. 'How does Kaira do it?' kinda thing. I guess she wasn't really over Kaira's death.

Kent came to (after being clotheslined by Oswin) chained to a stone flagpole in the courtyard of the Dragon's Gate. Sain was there, and the two of them reviewed Kent's case. Basically, due to Florina's disappearance, Kent could go for the 'no body, no case' argument, but it wouldn't get him off. With the typical perverted comments inserted by Sain, Kent pretty much had to sit there and contemplate his future. X was also chained next to Kent, but he was 'unconscious'.

X was in a really gross prison cell, with goo and slop pretty much caking the place. He was guarded by a Warrior who was much more dead than alive. Simply put, he was a zombie. The whole bare skull with exposed eyeballs and bones and dirt thing. Long story short, X broke out of his prison cell, killed the guard, and got really filthy in the process. After yelling a brief insult about his father, a flaming arrow shot from nowhere and took X through the head. He fell down and burst into lots of shiny little balls of light.

Eliwood was having a death-father/live-son moment, you know, talkin' to his dad. Fiora came in, but she wanted to leave when she figured out that Eliwood was having a private moment. But Eliwood did his 'gracious noble' thing and put off talking to his dad to talk to Fiora. Wish Hector could learn from that once in a while.

IceBlade28: Serra, you're hired to give a summary of last chapter, not to give your opinions.

Serra: What're you talking about! I don't even get paid!

IceBlade28: . . .

Serra: Anyway, Fiora wanted to talk with Eliwood about Florina's 'death'. The Pheraen figured 'Hey, she's lost someone close too. Maybe she wants comfort'. Far from it; Fiora wanted Kent _dead_. Not dead as in 'okay, he's been stabbed, he'll die in a sec', but full-on, out-and-out _dead_. Eliwood then reported that Kent had been sentenced to death at noon tomorrow, and unless concrete evidence was provided, Kent would die.

Then Florina came to at Kaira's feet, and there was a happy reunion with Tactician Kaira, Guy, Dorcas, Wil and even this pink-haired woman called Leila. I think Lord Hector said she was a spy or something. Anyway, Kaira had this weird thing go on where she started fizzling and looked like she was going to fade away. It didn't last long, but it did hurt. Florina found out that the place they were all in was the 'waiting place', where souls wait before they're judged. Problem was, there were so many dead people before them that Kaira and co. were pretty much killing time and waiting. Yeah, so Kaira got hit by another buzzy fading thing, and Florina figured out that Kaira's physical body was still alive, and that it was trying to call it's soul back into it's body. Which means we'd- Oh, how horrible! That means we'd buried Kaira alive.

IceBlade28: Yes, it's horrible. Boo hoo. Shut up and keep going.

Serra: So, yeah, um . . . Long story short, Florina had to choose who to bring back to life. Kaira felt sorry for her, 'cause she's the tactician and even _she_ would've had trouble picking who to take back. Dorcas and Wil decided to be really nice and said they would stay dead, even though they had loved ones in the world of the living. Leila wanted to be nice, but had a reason for wanting to come back- love. Apparently she had a thing for Matthew. Kaira mentioned X, and the two had a lovely little debate on our favourite sword-using assassin. Who broke my jade stone. Meanie. I believe Kaira said that if she ever got her hand on him, she would " . . . ask him _why_ he's being so picky-choosy, and then I'm going to _wring his little neck_!". Something tells me she has a grudge.

IceBlade28: Gee, you don't say.

Serra: So in the end, Florina chose Guy to resurrect. In a big fancy display of fire and light magic, Guy was wrapped in this ball/cocoon thing and went bye-bye. Florina was there, and her veins bulged up with some shiny silver stuff, and Kaira went bye-bye too. I think she went back to her own body, and Florina went too. Leila wasn't sure if she'd made a horrible mistake, and Wil was doing the slack-jawed yokel thing.

On the beach, where a single vessel dwelt not a hundred metres from the Dread Isle, a fist punched through the sand.

And that's it!

IceBlade28: Well done.

Serra: Of course. _Everything_ I do is well done!

IceBlade28: yawn Right. Which is why Erk loves you so much.

Serra: He does!

IceBlade28: And that's why he sleeps in Priscilla's tent.

Serra: He has to escort her! He'd choose me over her in a heartbeat, but he can't violate my laws of chastity!

IceBlade28: Just keep telling yourself that. Start the chapter!

**Chapter XVI: Innocence in Death**

Priscilla crawled out of her bed and stood outside her tent. The sky was bloody red, with the clouds gold in colour. It was what the wise women called an innocent dawn. Innocent blood would be spilled this day, and Priscilla knew that one man's dying screams would be on her conscience until her dying day. Unless she did something to stop him being killed, Kent would be executed for a crime he did not commit.

The troubadour felt her heart sink; an action that was becoming too familiar these days. She was a troubadour, but she was also Lady Priscilla, daughter of Count Caerlon. Was it really her place to interfere in an execution that was almost out of her hands?

And besides, all she'd seen was Florina vanish. For all intensive purposes, Kent _had_ killed her. It wasn't Florina was here now, walking and talking.

Priscilla glanced out towards Guy's grave, a place she had visited frequently since the myrmidon's death. Who knows, maybe she'd receive a bit of guidance from someone a little closer than a friend. Someone like-

"Lady Priscilla," Erk said, coming out of the tent behind her. The Etrurian looked at the ground.

"You know what day it is, don't you Erk?" she said. The Mage nodded.

"The day of Kent's execution. After all this, I still can't believe he'd do this," Erk said. Priscilla nodded.

"It's not just that. It's been almost a week since . . since Guy died," Priscilla said wistfully. Erk frowned.

"Guy . . . the mercenary who hung around you?" Erk said, a little scornful. Priscilla gave him a look.

"He was a good friend of mine," she told him. "I certainly enjoyed my time around him, and I got the impression he was almost fond of me. He saved my life at one point." Erk stifled a snort.

"Lady Priscilla, I ask you to think of your standing. He was a mercenary-for-hire; you are of high-born descent," the Mage reminder her stiffly. Priscilla didn't have to say anything; anyone could see the hurt in her eyes. Erk's face fell, and he knew he'd crossed a line.

"Lady Priscilla, I-" he began, but Priscilla had already turned and walked off. Erk started to give chase, but his step faltered and he stopped. Priscilla was walking into the woods, towards Guy's resting place. It was probably best that she have some time alone.

The Mage glanced at the dawn, and shivered. Fate would play it's hand more than once today.

-----

Lyn stood before Kent's slumbering body, in turmoil. Her most faithful cavalier and potential lover had murdered her best friend. And a man who struck her as more familiar than herself had killed her longest friend.

No matter which way she looked at it, life really sucked at this point.

The princess looked back at her knight, chained to a flagpole in a deserted courtyard. The sun was starting to shine on his face, and he almost looked like he was about to-

"Lyn?" Kent mumbled.

-wake up.

"Wha . . why're you 'ere?" he mumbled through sleep. His back was stiff as a board from sleeping on stone. Lyn remained silent. Kent shook the grogginess from his system and sighed.

"I won't burden your heart with apologies or pleas; I know it's been rough for you. As your Knight Commander, I should have been there to help you through these trials. However, it looks like Fate has dealt me a rather cruel hand," Kent explained. Lyn was stoically quiet throughout his explanation; Kent took this as a sign to continue.

"But please know, even as I go to my death, that I maintain my innocence," Kent said sadly.

"Kent," his employer said sharply.

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Pardon, milady?"

"I'm not your Lady anymore, you know that. I just wanted . . ." Lyn choked and lowered her head. After a short pause, she looked at Kent with misted eyes.

"I wanted to know why. Why did you do it?" she asked. Kent sighed.

"I've said it so many times it's almost useless, Lady Lyndis. I-"

"I know, 'you didn't do it'. Kent, you can't lie your way through this! The fact is-" Lyn's rant was cut off by the sharp clank of steel on stone. The plainswoman raised an eyebrow.

"Trying to escape, Kent?" she said dryly. The cavalier had instead frozen and broken out in a cold sweat.

"Milady . . . that wasn't me," he gulped. Lyn snorted, doubtful until she saw the form of X shift ever so slightly. Kent did a 'mouse in a mousetrap'- he froze for about two seconds before going completely nuts, trying to break his chains and get away from the green-cloaked stalker he was chained next to. He knew what the assassin was capable of.

X's crystal blue eyes snapped open, and he grinned wickedly before rolling to the side and wrapping his chains around Kent's throat in one fluid movement. It was over before Lyn could blink or even lay hand on the Mani Katti.

"Now, listen carefully," X spat. "You're going to- oh. It's you, Lyn," he amended, his tone changing completely. Lyn stared at the assassin.

"I'm sorry about being so harsh," he said. "I know I haven't been the best person to you; you don't deserve disrespect right now. I'll try again: Here's what I would _like_ to happen," he said complacently. "Firstly, you're going to free me from these chains so I can stop strangling Kent." The cavalier was spluttering and beetroot red. Lyn nodded.

"Fine, fine." she said. X smiled sincerely.

"Thanks. I'll hold you to it- the proud people of Sacae never lie, correct?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad to hear it. Secondly, Kent will be removed of all charges and his Knighthood restored," X said.

That one got him a pair of slack jaws. Well, except for Kent; he was still being strangled. X made a face.

"Oh hah hah," he said sarcastically, tightening his grip around Kent's throat. "But I was serious- I know what happened with Florina." _That_ got Lyn's attention.

"You know what-" Again, she was cut off by Kent strangling. The cavalier's eyes were starting to roll up into his head, and his complexion was almost purple.

"I don't think he'll last much longer," X said conversationally.

"Alright!" Lyn shouted. "Let my cavalier go, and I'll cut your chains." X smiled happily.

"That's what I like to hear," he said, slowly removing the chains from Kent's neck. The cavalier fell to the side, wheezing for air and holding his throat tenderly. X held his hands out, chain stretched tight.

"Now, if you would be so kind," he said. Lyn wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and unsheathed the Sword of Spirits.

"By the way," X said as she raised the blade. "If you even _think_ about doing something stupid like, oh, I don't know, cutting my hands off or trying to stab me, remember this: if you try it, our . . ." he smirked, and Lyn had a horrible feeling of déjà vu.

"Our 'past relationship' won't mean a thing," he finished casually. Lyn nodded, and struck once.

The sound of steel on steel echoed through the courtyard, and X was free. The assassin jumped backwards, and nodded.

"Now, you will do the second thing I asked?" he said. Lyn aimed the point at X's heart.

"Perhaps. But you won't be alive long enough to find out," she said, lunging. X shook his head before casually side-stepping and tripping her.

Lyn careened into the stone tiles, cursing herself. How could she have fallen for such a simple move? It was one of the most basic blunders!

"Geez Lyn. How could you've fallen for _that_?" X laughed. "That's rookie stuff!" he added, as though reading her mind.

"Who are you?" she asked pleadingly. X smiled.

"You'll find out. And free Kent, or I might just get cross," he added tauntingly. Lyn picked up her Mani Katti.

"But . . why are you doing this? Please- I'm so sick of unanswered questions," Lyn moaned. X's smiled gently.

"At a time, I thought I had all the answers. Now, I realise that I almost do- but I'm making people around me ask the same questions I once did," he said. Lyn nodded sympathetically, taking a slow step forward. This assassin was incredible, but he was still about two or three years younger. Therefore, he had the heart of a teenage boy. Perhaps she could exploit this 'weakness'.

"I don't like not knowing things; it's how I came to be the way I am," X said sadly.

"And how is that?" Lyn said, taking another step forward. X shrugged.

"I guess it's a little complicated. But I'll tell you something to put your mind at ease- Florina's alive. In one way, I guess." Lyn's heart leapt for joy, and she took another step forward.

"In one way? What do you mean?" Lyn asked, walking slowly towards him. X looked at the ground.

"Well, she's alive both in body and in spirit, but . . . I'm afraid I don't have the foggiest clue where she is," X admitted sheepishly. Lyn nodded sympathetically, now less than a metre away from X. The assassin peered from the shadowy confines of his hood. Lyn was quite attractive, actually. The assassin found himself taking a step towards her, until they were standing close.

X smirked. They were barely thirty centimetres from each other.

"I've missed you," he said sadly. Lyn's eyes betrayed just the right amount of shock, before X lunged.

He placed a hand in the middle of her back, took her other hand with his and swung her smoothly around, until he held her in his arms almost to the point of a kiss. It was so gracefully done that it reminded them both of a ballroom dance move. X laughed.

"Lyn, if you wanna take me on, you've got to get some better moves!" he said. "That little thing you do, using those long legs of your's to creep up close: it's not gonna work anymore!" he said with a laugh. "You can't use the Mani Katti at this close of a range!" he added, bringing her back up and setting her on her feet.

"Here, you should have this," said X, reaching inside his robes and tossing something at Lyn's feet. The Sacaen picked it up gingerly; it was a glass ball with patterns unlike she'd ever seen.

"Just smash it on the place where Florina disappeared, and she'll come back. Simple enough," he explained. Lyn looked at the ball again, before looking back up.

X was gone.

-----

Kaira's face wormed through the sand, and she managed to pull herself halfway out of her grave, panting hard. She'd have to have a few words to Eliwood and Hector- they'd buried her a bit _too_ deep.

The tactician gagged and spat out a mouthful of sand. Next time she died, she'd request not to be buried on a beach. Groaning, she managed to pull herself out of the proverbial six-foot hole and flop onto her back, gasping for air. The sand had filled her clothes, making her ceremonial tactician robes kilos heavier. Not the biggest advantage when you're trying to unearth yourself.

Kaira managed to stand up and tilted her sleeves down, groaning at the amount of sand that had filled them. No wonder she'd had such a hard time getting out of that blasted hole! Kaira sighed. Being buried sucked. Next time she'd be cremated; much easier.

After a time, the tactician had emptied her clothes and shook as much sand from her hair as possible. Kaira straightened up and looked around; it was mid-morning. But, in the usual Dread Isle fashion, the whole beach was covered with fog.

Kaira snorted at the misty beach, walking along the sand until she bumped her head on something wooden.

"Stupid tree branch," she said irritably. Kaira grabbed the branch to push it away, but it wouldn't budge. And it was too polished to be a tree branch. The tactician held the shaft in her hand and slid it down, down . . .

Until the mist parted, revealing the frozen expression of Deagor, with a lance shaft extruding from his mouth.

Kaira screamed and fell back from the bound corpse. From high in the air, voices came.

"Hey, lads- that was a woman's scream!"

"It couldn't be Lyn, could it?"

"It's probably Serra- the stupid cleric's gone and gotten lost."

Kaira paused. They'd mentioned Lyn. And Serra. Whoever it was, they had to be friends. As for the massive oak wall that Deagor was tied to, what else could it be but the front of the _Davros_?

"Ahoy the _Davros_!" Kaira shouted. There was a brief pause, before three ropes landed on the sand. Kaira took a few steps back, allowing the skeleton crew of the ship to land on the beach.

All three of them looked shocked beyond belief.

"It's . . . . it's not possible!" Matthew gasped. Fargus eyed the tactician severely, and poked her hard. The tactician yelped, and Fargus nodded.

"Well, the lass be real, mates," he said. "Arr, weren't ye supposed ta be dead?" Kaira shrugged.

"I guess I had some reason to come back," she said. "Or I never actually died in the first place." Matthew shrugged, before laughing and embracing the tactician. Kaira hugged the thief back, smiling.

"It's good to see you too-" she paused, frowning.

"Matthew, gimme back my emergency gold," she said in a no-nonsense tone. The Ostian looked put out.

"Well, it's not like dead people have any use for it!" he complained. Kaira just stuck her open hand out; the thief sighed and dropped the small moneybag into her hand. The tactician grinned.

"Just because I died doesn't mean I was born five minutes ago," Kaira said. They all laughed.

"We may want to get in touch with Lyn and the others," Matthew said, already off the beach and at the treeline. "They'll want to know you're okay." Kaira nodded and struggled up the beach.

"Out of curiousity, Matthew, where the heck were you on the way to the Dread Isle? I couldn't find you _anywhere_!"

Matthew just smiled and stepped into the shadows.

-----

Lyn glanced at the sun, shielding her eyes. It was noon- Kent would be executed in minutes. The Sacaen pulled Sain to the side, preventing him from joining the increasing crowd around Kent.

"Sain," Lyn said urgently. "You know that as Kent's commanding officer that I'm in charge of executing him. It's not only my duty, but my obligation." Sain nodded, while Lyn looked around carefully.

"This is a present from a . . . mutual friend of ours," she said, handing him the orb. The cavalier regarded it with some curiousity.

"A mutual friend who's tried to kill you," Sain said, knowing exactly who she meant. Lyn shook her head.

"Sain, he didn't try to kill me, and there's no time for explanations. You know the exact spot where Florina was killed, don't you?" Lyn's voice was fierce and hurried.

"Of course."

"Take this orb, and smash it on the spot. Once Florina reappears, get her back here as quickly as possible. I'll stall the execution as long as possible," Lyn said, glancing over her shoulder.

"I'd better go," the Sacaen said. "Do this, for Kent's sake!"

Sain was left staring at the finely crafted ball and the dusty footprints of his liege. The cavalier raised his head, and sprinted towards his companion's old tent.

-----

The sun was dead in the sky. The army had gathered, with very few exceptions. Noon had arrived- Kent was on his knees, flanked by Oswin and Marcus. Lyndis held the shining Mani Katti in her hands, her face an emotionless mask. The time of judgement is now. Fiora stood close by, trembling. This was what should be done. A murderer was being brought to justice.

Then why did it feel so wrong?

"Kent, ex-commander of the Knights of Caelin," Lyn said. "Now, at noon and in the sight of just and honourable witnesses, I execute you for the murder of Florina, one of your comrades and a soldier dear to many. May Elimine have mercy on your soul."

Kent looked up at the figure slowly raising her sword, until the mighty blade eclipsed the sun. The cavalier closed his eyes. He was ready.

At the side, Priscilla covered her eyes. She couldn't do it. She couldn't say the truth about Florina's death; she was too scared. Now, because of her fear, the blood of an innocent man would cry against her forever.

-----

Sain slashed open the door to Kent's tent, tossing his Iron sword aside as he rushed over to the place where Florina died.

"This is it, it's gotta be" Sain whispered, fumbling with the glass ball. He had one chance to get this right, and he wasn't going to waste it. Providing this _was_ the place that Florina actually died . . .

Sain raised the sphere over head and brought it down with a yell. The fine glass shattered, sending pieces flying all over the tent.

A moment passed, then two. Silence reigned. Sain didn't dare to move, in case the magic took a little while to activate. Or unless X had given his liege Lady a fake sphere or something. He should've known Lyn couldn't trust the lying creep!

-----

The Mani Katti swished through the air, connecting with solid flesh and completely severing what it hit.

It wasn't Kent. In the seconds before Lyn had brought the Mani Katti down, X had shot from nowhere in sight and taken the blow. The assassin was still alive, but his right arm had been completely severed.

"What the-" Hector exclaimed over the screams. X was looking at his arm with wide eyes, the stump spewing blood. He screamed again.

"This is what I get for sticking up for someone!" he shouted angrily, trying to stem the blood flow with his remaining hand. Rebecca looked away, feeling sick; Serra fainted and Priscilla dry-retched.

"Lady Priscilla? Are you alright?" Erk asked, concerned. Priscilla shook her head. Erk had just enough foresight to cup her flame-red hair in his hands and hold it behind her neck while Priscilla's breakfast introduced itself to a patch of grass.

X groaned, sinking to his knees. He'd lost a lot of blood, but it wasn't the reason he had to escape. The assassin didn't want his self-healing power, one of his best 'trump cards', to be revealed. Before the power could take effect, X uncorked an Elixir and swallowed the entire contents quickly.

Perhaps needless to say, his right arm quickly regrew. Healing liquid is powerful stuff, and the assassin stood strong again. Though still a little woozy while his blood regenerated.

"What in the blazes are you doing here!" Eliwood demanded, striding forward. "And how did you get free?" X tried not to laugh. This was too choice.

"First off, I want you to release Kent. The man is innocent- he did not _permanently _kill Florina." X looked straight at Priscilla. "Did he?" Priscilla wiped her mouth.

"No," she whispered. "No, he didn't." X nodded in satisfaction.

"Exactly. In fact, Sain should be coming along with Florina right about . . ." he listened carefully.

". . . Now," he said, turning. It was not Sain and Florina, but someone who made X turn bright white.

"Y-Y-You . . . Father Sky, it's not possible! You're dead! I killed you!" he stammered. Kaira smiled eerily, loving every second of his fear.

"Did you now," she said quietly. X's heart raced, and he broke out in a cold, cold sweat.

"Y-Yes?" he said, almost questioningly. Matthew stood beside her, glaring daggers at the assassin.

Canas pulled a Flux tome from beneath his heavy robes, muttering under his breath. A tiny ball of dark magic appeared in his palm; he concealed it and tried to make it grow subtly. X smirked.

"Don't even try it, Canas," X said. The Shaman jerked, and extinguished the spell. The entire army was still, a little uncertain about what to do. Until someone decided for them.

"Get him!" Kaira shouted, pointing at X. The assassin's eyes flared.

"Bad move, lass," he snarled. Before most people knew what was going on, X had grabbed Lucius in a painful arm lock and thrown him towards the main clump of magic users. They scattered like bowling pins.

"Don't make me do this!" X shouted, ducking a Rapier swipe from Eliwood and laying him out with a flashy sweeping kick. Kaira just watched as her entire army seemed to swarm onto this assassin, and the green-cloaked devil dodged every move and proceeded to knock several unconscious with throat jabs, roundhouse kicks and a variety of moves.

X grunted as he blocked the shaft of the Wolf Beil and pushed it away. Hector was not attacked, however; X had decided to run for it.

The assassin had sprinted halfway through the camp when Matthew pushed his way to the front.

"Here, have some of this stuff back!" he snarled, throwing a spare knife high into the air. X ran through the rows of tents, until a sharp pain caused him to fall to the ground. The assassin grunted as he pulled the knife from his shoulder and dropped it to the dirt, still running.

The assassin took a few more steps before his vision hazed. The world swirled, and X giggled like a little schoolgirl as he flopped on his back. The teenager's eyes rolled up into his head and he was out like a light.

Matthew walked calmly up to him, smiling.

"Geez, Matthew- what'd you _do_ to him!" Kaira asked incredulously. Matthew picked up his dagger and cleaned it thoroughly on his cloak before sheathing it.

"This man used some kind of drug on me; it put me to sleep. I used what was left on me, on him." the cheery thief explained. Kaira nodded.

"Poetic justice," she said. The tactician was resisting a strong urge to spit on the assassin.

When X's eyes snapped open.

"Fooled you again," he said conversationally, leaping to his feet and sprinting several metres from a posse of slack jaws.

"It's getting a little old. Come on- you're the tactician! It must be embarrassing to be shown up every time," X taunted, before disappearing into the woods. Matthew made to go after him, but Kaira shook her head and placed a hand against his chest.

"Don't. We couldn't track him in Badon; what makes you think here will be different?" she asked. Matthew sighed. It appeared that the assassin had escaped their clutches again.

-----

X coughed up a lump of phlegm, leaning against the stump of a dead tree. That stuff coating the dagger, the stuff now in his blood stream . . . it wasn't the tranquilising gel X had employed earlier. Matthew had screwed around with it, turned it into some kind of poison. The Ostian might've made a good assassin.

X wheezed and sank to his knees. The stuff was playing havoc with his breathing, and giving him the chills. Truth be told, the green-cloaked man wasn't accustomed to having his own tricks employed against him. It wasn't very nice.

X looked up, feeling someone's presence. There was nothing but a freshly unearthed pit, possibly a grave. On closer inspection, there was a toppled headstone at the earthy mounds. So it was a grave. But who's?

The flat of a muddy sword slapped him across the face, making him whimper. The assassin looked up, into a pair of cold green eyes. X groaned.

"Don't you people ever stay dead!" he complained. The man punched X across the face, enjoying the grunt of pain. Flat on his back, X stared through narrow eyes at his newest enemy.

"It's good to see you too," he spat. "Guy."

IceBlade28: Thus we come to another cliffhanger. You hate me, don't you.

Serra: No, I don't hate you. (Boom! Headshot with Heal staff).

IceBlade28: XX.

Serra: Well, you deserve it.

IceBlade28: Just tell them about the next chapter while I take a headache tablet. Ow.

Serra: Next time, on Person's Unknown: X confronts an old enemy. Will he survive this newest threat, even with the poison coursing through his body? Kent's knighthood is restored, and we set sail back for Elibe. Plus, Florina has a message for Matthew- a message from beyond the grave. Tune in next time, for Chapter XVII: Ocean Bound

IceBlade28: Reviews make my head stop hurting. Put me out of my misery, please!


	17. Chapter XVII: Ocean Bound

IceBlade28: Alrighty, let's get it on. Review of last chapter- Serra! You know what to do.

Serra: And may I say that no-one can do it better than I!

IceBlade28: Oh, shut up. I don't hire you to blabber, I hire you to give the readers the review of last chapter and the teaser for next chapter.

Serra: So rude! Well, last chapter:

During the preview, I found out I wasn't even getting paid for my services! Cheapskate!

IceBlade28: Hey!

Serra: It's true!

IceBlade28: (scowls) Just give the readers the summary already.

Serra: After the excellent points made by me, Taylor decided to start the chapter. Priscilla was feeling particularly guilty about Kent's execution that day. I mean, that horrible boy-stealing troubadour was the only person that had the information to save Kent's life, and she was worried about what people might think! Erky, who was sharing a tent with Priscilla, tried to give her some advice. Unfortunately, that day also marked the one-week anniversary of Guy's death. Erk expressed his dislike for the fact that he was a mercenary, which really ticked Priscilla off. It was a little mean, but I know Erky didn't mean it!

Then Lyn went into the Dragon's Gate courtyard. She wanted to talk to Kent before she killed him; it's the duty of the lord or lady to personally execute any 'double agents'. Kent again expressed his innocence, but Lyn didn't listen- she asked him why he would kill Florina. Kent wasn't sure how to answer, until a very loud clack of manacles occured. Lyn thought Kent was trying to escape, but the answer was much worse: X had woken up. Before Lyn could blink, X had his chains around Kent's throat and was already strangling him. He acted really mean, but once he saw it was Lyn, he almost acted like a gentleman! Weird . . . X demanded- sorry. X _asked_ for two things: to be freed from his chains, and for Kent's knighthood to be restored. Lyn agreed to both, and moved to free X. It was also then that X said the two had a past relationship, whatever that means. So Lyn used her Mani Katti to free X, and before he could ask for Kent's knighthoo to be restored Lyn tried to kill him. But even though she was an experienced swordswoman, she fell for the most basic blunders! Then, X started monologuing. Lyn did that fancy sympathetic-gaze-while-creeping-slowly-towards-them thingie. X caught on and moved really close, before bringing her down with a ballroom dance move. I almost thought the two were going to kiss! He brought Lyn back up, set her on her feet, and gave her this glass ball thing. By the time she looked up, he was gone.

The tactician managed to unbury herself after a long time of struggling. Finally she walked along the beach until she hit her head on a lance shaft. It was the lance shaft in Deagor's mouth- the mutineer strung up to the figurehead, remember? That scared the crap out of her, and Matthew, Dart and Fargus jumped down to find out what all the fuss was about. They had their little 'Hey, you're back from the dead!' moment. Matthew hugged her and pickpocketed her emergency gold, the little thief! Kaira, however, didn't fall for it and got her gold back.

Lyn bumped into Sain before the execution and gave him the instructions- take the glass ball, smash it on the spot where Florina died, grab her and get back really fast to stop Kent's execution.

At the execution, Lyn said the condemning prayer and lifted the Mani Katti. Priscilla wimped out- she couldn't say what she knew. Kent's death would be on her concience for eternity. The Mani Katti came down.

Sain smashed the glass ball over the spot where Florina died. Nothing happened. X must've given him a fake sphere!

X intercepted the blow from Lyn and had his right arm cut off. Through the screams, Rebecca looked away nauseous, I fainted and Priscilla dry-retched. It didn't take long before the rest of it came up. Our favourite green-cloaked assassin swallowed an entire Elixer- must've been repeating on him for a while afterwards, those things are meant to be drank in thirds! Anyway, X's arm regrew. Eliwood got really P.O'ed, and X told him about Priscilla knowing the truth about Florina. He judged Sain and Florina coming along, but it wasn't them. It was Kaira- let me tell you, X _freaked out_! Matthew came up next to the Lady Tactician, with both his daggers, and he did not look happy. Then pretty much all heck broke loose- everyone was pulling out weapons and launching spells and trying to kill X, but the assassin dodged it all and started laying everyone out to boot! No pun intended- he knocked more than one person flat with a roudhouse kick. After a short time X realised that he was gonna get a blade in the back sooner or later, so he broke free and ran. Matthew smeared some of X's own sleeping gel onto one of his knives and threw it hard- it hit X and the teenage boy was out like a light. By the time Matthew and the Tactician had come up to X's prostrate body, the assassin jumped to his feet, threw a few taunting words back and disappeared into the forest.

Within that forest, X was coughing up phlegm and blood. Whatever the stuff on that dagger was, it was not the same stuff X had used on Matthew. The Ostian had screwed with it or something, and now it was a really nasty poison. Without warning, the assassin was attacked by another of our resurrected friends: Guy.

IceBlade28: Stop putting your own comments into the review! _Bad_ Serra!

Serra: Don't treat me like I'm some kind of animal! (K.O's IceBlade28 with Heal staff).

IceBlade28: XD. Owies . . .

Serra: I think I'm getting into a good habit here. Start the fic!

IceBlade28: That's my line!

Serra: (Belts IceBlade28 with staff again) Stay down!

IceBlade28: XX . . .

Serra: Good, he's out cold. Start the fic!

**Chapter XVII: Ocean Bound**

X made a face at the myrmidon, and got to his feet.

"Guy, I don't have time for this. Can't we do this some other day?" he complained. Guy snorted back a laugh.

"What? Y-You must be joking! You've nearly killed me twice, and I'm just going to let you go? It's bad enough that devil Matthew has a contract over me, I'm not letting another sneaky villain escape!" Guy stammered, disbelieving. X leant against a tree and placed a hand to his stomach, feeling the contents of a pilfered lunch rise to the back of his throat.

"Well, we share a common hatred," he rasped, starting to sweat. "Matthew concocted some kind of poison, and he hit me with it. I'm not in the best fighting abilities right now," Guy laughed.

"That's just the better for me!" he said, swinging his sword a few times to get the dirt and muck off it. X's mind raced; if he could get out of here without a fight, maybe he'd have enough time to come up with an antidote for this toxin in his system. Or would his healing power get rid of it? It'd be nasty, whichever way.

"Guy, think about it. You pride yourself in your swordwork. I know you do, you've boasted of it before. You are also a proud Sacaen, and the Sacaen never lie. Isn't that right?" X said, his vision starting to blur. Guy nodded, biting his lip. He already didn't like where this was going.

"Wouldn't it be better to wait until I've recovered, so you can defeat me at my full strength?" X taunted weakly. The contagion was accelerating through his bloodstream. It was probably fatal, and it seemed to have nullified his healing ability.

"Any coward can kill a poisoned weakling," X whispered, starting to sink to his knees. "Not you, though. You have that thing that Matthew does not. You have . . honour. Your sword has honour, and it is that honour that has prevented . . . that has prevented you from killing me," X goaded, feeling the poison start to numb his limbs. Time was short.

Guy was struggling with X's offer. It made sense to him . . . but as much as he hated to admit it, Guy was no match for even Matthew. And if this X had defeated Matthew time and time again, then it was logically suicide to cross swords with the assassin in his full strength.

"No, I think I'll kill you now. Thanks to a little piece of advice Matthew gave me," Guy said, advancing with his Killing Edge. "Your opponent is weak if he expects a compromise on the battlefield."

X stared at the myrmidon through dull blue eyes. _Blast you Matthew_, he thought. _If you had to teach the boy one thing, it just _had_ to be that, didn't it?_

"But . . I-I'm unarmed," he stammered. His tongue didn't want to work. Guy frowned.

"Here. I always keep a spare on me," he said, tossing an Iron sword at X's side. The assassin wrapped his hands around the hilt and tried to lift. The blade wobbled in the air for a second before flopping back into the mud. The poison had sapped his strength.

"It won't be a fight," X said thickly, pulling himself up the tree to a standing point. "You know . . . you know I can barely lift this sword." Guy gritted his teeth.

"Fine."

"What?"

"I won't kill you. It's just not worth it right now."

"Then . . . what are you going to . . to do?"

"I'll knock you out and take you back to camp."

"Then do it . . . . or you'll . . kill me . . ." X giggled. His voice seemed high and unnatural to him, kind of squirrelly actually. X started to laugh; he couldn't help it. Guy looked so funny standing there! Now he was standing sideways, wonder how he did that? Oh look, he's shaking his head? Hee hee! Hold on to the ground Guy, or you'll fall into the sky! Yaaaaaaaayy!

"You've cracked, haven't you?" Guy asked rhetorically. X responded with more laughing, and he began to convulse on the spot.

Some part of X's mind that was still his own processed that the poison was doing a nasty job of messing with his mind. These were hallucinations; he was seeing things that weren't there . . .

He threw up.

"Ew," Guy said, watching the assassin evacuate a mixture of food, bile and blood. There was also a surprising amount of green jelly in his vomit. Guy took a step back.

"I think it's better if I put you out of your misery," he said.

"Nooooo," X whined. "I like my misery . . ." Guy looked at the shivering teenage assassin, sitting in the dirt with a thin layer of vomit hanging from his chin. The myrmidon wasn't sure if he'd seen sorrier sights.

"No, I think I should kill you before you recover," Guy corrected, lifting his Killing Edge. "This way you will die, I will have my revenge, and you won't remember a thing you've said. Everybody's happy." X stared at him.

"Actually, I think I'll be okay remembering," he said. His strength was starting to come back; he must've expelled the poison from his system via puke.

"Then I'm going to kill you now," Guy said, taking a battle stance. X pulled himself to his feet.

"Guy, please. If you were going to kill me, you'd have done it by-" Guy took one step forward and stabbed hard. X didn't have enough energy to dodge, so he made a simple compromise and took the blade through the right pectoral.

"-by now," he finished, groaning. "You're stabbing a bit harder this time, you know. I'd almost think I made you mad." Guy gritted his teeth and twisted the sword sideways. X clenched his teeth so hard he thought they might crack.

"That . . hurts . . ." X wept, reaching for the hilt. Guy smirked and angled the blade downwards, sawing towards his ribs.

A girly scream echoed through the woods. Guy couldn't suppress a laugh.

"Well, since you're screaming like a girl," he said, with a devilish grin. The myrmidon cocked his foot. X's eyes watched the boot carefully, tracing an untravelled path through the air until he reached the intended destination of the foot. His eyes snapped back up.

"I'd like to have kids, thanks," he said quickly. Guy shrugged.

"Too bad," he said, and kicked hard. X looked at his privates, now with boot, before looking to the side and exhaling impatiently. Guy looked from his foot to X's face in astonishment.

"I knew it! Whad'ya mean you want kids! You're a-"

"I hate it when people do that," X growled, grabbing the hilt of the Killing Edge and pulling the sword from his breast. Guy stumbled back.

"How in the world . . ." X cracked the tendons in his neck as he expected the wound to close itself.

Instead he felt like his head would explode. It didn't make sense to him- his healing power should've fixed the wound! He felt like he was going to die, it hurt so bad.

The assassin glanced over his shoulder and staggered back the way he'd come. Better captive in Lyn's hands than dead at Guy's.

"Hey, coward!" Guy shouted. "Come back and fight!" There was only the sound of weeping and thumping; Guy assumed X was still half-running away. Well, there was no way this green-cloaked demon was escaping. Not this time!

Guy sprinted through the trees, his gaze on the back of the injured boy, when a flash of something soft and red caught his attention. It was a tuft of something soft and red; beneath it were the teary green eyes of someone he knew.

" . . . Priscilla," he said, stopping in his tracks. The troubadour looked up, not daring to believe.

"Guy?"

-----

"Well, Kent- I guess there's not really much choice left," Lyn said. The cavalier nodded.

"I'm somewhat disappointed, Lady Lyndis, that you did not believe I was innocent," he said. The Sacaen shrugged.

"I know, Kent, I know. But as a princess, in charge of all of Caelin, I couldn't allow my heart to overrule my head, even if the two conflicted," Lyn explained. Kent nodded.

"I understand completely, milady. Shall we begin the ceremony?" Lyn nodded, while Sain handed her the Mani Katti. Lyn held the blade firmly, before placing it on Kent's left shoulder.

"Kent, by the authority placed in me as Princess of Caelin and your commanding officer, I restore your knighthood and renew your vows as such. May such a time never come where you must break them again."

And with that little speech, Sir Kent rose to his feet.

"Nary a truer word was spoken, milady," he said proudly. "I hope I will have the future chance to prove myself invaluable."

"You already are," Lyn mumbled. Kent bent low, while Sain's mind raced. Did she really just say that? Lyn flushed, but was saved further embarrassment by an interruption.

"Lyn," Kaira said. "Pack it up. We're leaving." Lyn walked outside the flap.

"Leaving?"

"I can't stand to be on this island another minute; it's toying with everyone's emotions. The whole camp's nearly been at each other's throats. Besides, there's no more reason for Eliwood to hang around: now that the Marquess is dead and all." Lyn nodded somberly. Lord Elbert's death had touched them all, in one way or another.

"I need you to start spreading the word to your troops. I've already spoken to Captain Fargus, he expects to sail on the next high tide. We've got about three hours to pack up and load our stuff onto the _Davros_ or we'll be left behind," Kaira explained. Lyn nodded, before leaving to do as her friend asked.

"Oh, and Lyn?" Kaira asked. The Sacaen stopped and turned around.

"Yes?" she asked. Kaira's eyes narrowed.

"If I find out that X is on the _Davros _again, I won't stop until he's dead. Do you understand?" she spat. The hair on the back of Lyn's neck stood up; it had nothing to do with the conditions.

"And trust me Lyn: if I find out someone isn't telling me everything they know about him, they'll rue the day they kept quiet," Kaira said, with a surprising amount of hatred in her voice. Lyn bit her lip and nodded. The tactician smirked, before turning away and withdrawing a crumpled piece of parchment from within her ample bust. Hopefully her little assassin friend would find it in just the right place.

-----

Legault flicked a gold coin up in the air, smirking. Lyn hadn't found out about her missing gold yet. The Hurricane flicked it into the air again, comfortable with his resting place against a rock not too far from camp. His stuff was packed, he'd move it onto the ship later. Legault flipped it a third time into the air, before it was snatched away by a fist.

"Hey," he said, getting to his feet and turning around. A thief in red stood on the opposite side of the rock, the coin in his open hand.

"It's stolen, isn't it?" Matthew asked. Legault shrugged.

"Perhaps."

"From who?"

"Do you need to know?"

"You're former Black Fang. I want to trust you, and yet you steal from people I might know."

"I'm a thief. You're a thief. We steal, it's what we do." Matthew remained silent. He didn't have an answer to that one.

"What did they call you in the Black Fang?" he asked suddenly. Legault raised an eyebrow, before nodding.

"I was a member of the Black Fang when you could count us on two hands. They took me in because of my agility; I was known as the Hurricane," he explained. While he was talking, Matthew was examining the scar over Legault's left eye.

"Who gave you that scar?" he asked. Legault stroked the mark with a finger.

"This? It was a fellow who was one of the very first, a long time ago. I believe he joined the Fang almost immediately after Brendan and his two sons, Lloyd and Linus. He was an assassin, one of the best I'd seen. Before Jaffar, of course; but Jaffar came with Nergal, about a year ago. This fellow came almost a decade before." Matthew nodded, signalling to Legault to continue.

"He always kept his face hidden, but by his words and posture I'd almost assume he was a young boy, perhaps Lord Eliwood's age. But his actions, the way he moved- it showed the mark of training much longer than you'd assume he'd been alive. Does that make sense?" Legault asked. Matthew's eyes flickered back and forth, calculating. This assassin Legault spoke of sounded much like X, too much to be coincidence. But, Legault had said it was over a decade ago, meaning the man he'd spoken of woul be in his mid-to-late-twenties, possibly his early thirties. Matthew decided it couldn't be the same man.

"Anyway, this assassin had been given a job; when I think about it, I almost think Brendan _wanted_ him to die. The job was nearly impossible: he had to sneak into one of the most guarded places on Elibe, kill a noble, and get out," Legault mused.

"Who was the noble?" Matthew asked.

"I can't say, I don't remember," Legault lied. A few alarm bells rang in Matthew's head, but he ignored them and continued to listen to Legault's tale.

"The amazing thing is, he _did_ it. This assassin got in and actually killed this nobleman. The problem is, he'd tripped an alarm on the way out, and . . ."

"And?"

"Well, the assassin escaped. Not without a price, though: the lives of more than a hundred innocents. He cut down every person in his path to get out, whether they were guards, hardened soldiers, more nobility, kitchen hands or even scullery maids. The halls were said to have bathed and drank in the blood of men, women and children," Legault said with a grimace. Matthew shook his head.

"When he returned, covered in blood and sweat, Brendan congratulated him. The assassin was given time to rest, to recuperate. Brendan thought everything had gone as planned, that another noble who abused his position of power had been quietly silenced. On the morrow, Brendan heard of the acts of this assassin. I'm told his rage was great and terrible to behold. He rallied his sons, Lloyd and Linus, to capture the assassin. They caught him sleeping, bound him and brought him to me," Legault said.

"You? Why you?" Matthew asked.

"Because, within the Fang I was known as the 'house cleaner'. As that house cleaner, I was responsible for executing anyone who betrayed the Fang or failed a job. Black Fang members never beg for mercy. They'd rather die than be captured. It's 'cause they know . . . what happens to traitors. You can never run from the cleaner. That's Fang law. I worked to protect that law." Matthew nodded in understanding.

"Anyway, they brought him to me. I was ready, but when I tried to kill him, he escaped. He defeated both of Brendan's sons and Brendan himself at once; even this decade later I'm trying to figure out how he did it. Before he left, he threw a knife at my face. If I hadn't moved, I'd be less one eye or even dead. But he left me this," Legault finished, stroking the white scar again. The Ostian spy stayed silent, stewing over this new information. However, something small, white and mauve slipped into his vision and started to squeak and stutter. Matthew sighed.

"Hello, Florina," he said. "Did you want to talk to me?" Florina nodded hard, her eyes wide. Matthew motioned for Legault to leave; the Hurricane held up his hands.

"Hey, I know when I'm a hinderance. I'll see you around," he said, before walking off. Matthew turned back to Florina.

"Now, what did you want to say?" he asked. Florina didn't look at him, preferring the peaty ground as a resting place for her eyes.

"It's, um . . . it's a-about . . Leila? Is that h-her name? I think it is . . ." she mumbled. Matthew bent low.

"So, you've met her, eh? She's a nice girl, isn't she?" he said cheerily. Not too loudly, mind- Florina was like a rabbit in that regard. Make a sudden move or a loud noise and she'd either curl up into a ball or bolt.

"Hang on- how'd she get here? I mean, I know she was a part of the Black Fang, but shouldn't she've rejoined us now that . . ." Matthew began, but Florina interrupted.

"Sh-she's . . . I-I mean, she's d- . . she's dead . . ." she whispered. Matthew froze, hoping his ears had lied to him. Or Florina had muddled up her message.

"She's dead . . ." she said, a bit stronger. "I-I'm sorry, Matthew." Matthew shook his head.

"It's okay. Leila blundered . . . that's all," he said breathlessly. "I was actually going to ask her to put the spying life behind her. Guess I waited too long didn't I?" he said, punctuating it with a weak laugh. Tears welled up in Florina's eyes.

"Sh-she gave me a message," Florina squeaked, sniffing. Strange how Florina was crying, when Matthew had shed not a tear over the death of a girl who loved him. Matthew swallowed hard, pushing back his grief. He would mourn her later. Emotions like grief were best bottled up; it was best for everyone. Best for Leila, best for him, best for the young master; best for everyone.

Florina opened her mouth to give the message, but then closed it. Matthew looked so sad; it was best she didn't tell him everything right now.

The Ilian crept away, back towards the ship and Huey. Perhaps a nice ride in the skies would cheer her up.

-----

Eliwood's heart was downcast as he lifted his father's casket onto the shelf in his cabin. It was the second day since he'd died, and things hadn't gotten easier. Most of the people had loaded onto the _Davros_; they were just waiting on a few of the mounted units before they could set sail. And Merlinus, of course: the merchant had enough equipment for both the Lords and Lady. Marcus and Lowen were helping him shift his tent and paraphernalia up on deck.

The redhead's eyes burned as he glanced at his father's pale face. He had wept all his tears, now there was nothing but a hollowness. A gap in his heart that felt like it was pulling him into it, that he was collapsing into the hole.

A smart rap on the door pulled Eliwood from his stupor.

"Hey boy! It's Dart, First Mate 'ere- the Cap'n wants ta see you on deck," Dart called through the door. Eliwood nodded, and opened the door.

Ninian stood there, her eyes glazed.

"Ninian?" Eliwood asked. "Wasn't . . Dart . . .?" Ninian shook her head and came aware of her surroundings.

"Oh! U-Um, Lord Eliwood . . . I beg your forgiveness, I just . . forgot where I was, for a moment," Ninian stammered. Eliwood nodded.

"Are you sure you're okay since the Dragon's Gate?" he asked with a pang. Even the name brought back bad memories.

"Yes, I think so," Ninian said. She was spared further conversation by a young boy's voice.

"Ninian! Sister! Where are you?" Nils called from the opposite end of the ship.

"Over here!" the dancer said jovially, waving her arm. Nils caught sight and ran towards them.

"I just wanted to apologise," Ninian said, her mood swinging quickly from happy to glum. "I-I took your father's life from you, and-"

"Ninian!" Nils said, running up next to her and tugging on her arm. Eliwood looked away. Ninian bit her lip, not wanting to leave her apology half-finished, but Nils' tugging proved too insistant. The dancer allowed her younger brother to lead her away to their room in the deeper part of the ship.

Nils pulled her inside and shut the door, making sure they were alone.

"Nils, I-" Ninian began, but Nils held up a hand.

"Ninian, there's something you're not telling me, is there?" Nils asked adamantly. Ninian wasn't sure what to say.

"We both say him; that man in green. He fought with Ephidel; I know he talked with you while we were on this ship. There's something you know about him. Isn't there?" Nils asked. Ninian shook her head.

"Ninian, I'm your brother. You don't need to keep secrets from me, not like Lord Eliwood and Lady Lyn and everyone. I know keeping secrets is hard, but you don't need to lie to me!" Nils said. Ninian sat down on the bed.

"That man, the man in green. He knew I was a dragon just by looking at me," Ninian confessed. Nils' eyes widened.

"That's impossible. No-one knows about us, we're over a thousand years old!" the bard said. Ninian shook her head.

"I don't know, but he knew about me. He didn't say it, but I think he also knew I was an ice dragon, not a fire dragon," Ninian said. Nils frowned.

"If he knew that . . . he must be-"

Footsteps outside their door cut out exactly what Nils had been planning to say.

-----

Serra trudged through the corridor, looking for the one thing she was always looking for: Erk. So far, however, her search was fruitless. Maybe he was hanging out with that troubadour- but it didn't seem likely since Guy had come back. Everyone was surprised that Guy and the tactician had come back, and Priscilla had barely left his side since the myrmidon was revived.

A flash of robes appeared around the corner; Serra dashed forward and pounced.

"Erky!" she cried jubilantly, tackling him to the floor. The cleric was about to pull him up and demand why he hadn't found her any vassals when she found that the fistful of robes in her hand were white, not red. And that one sleeve was held up by a safety pin.

"Sister Serra," Lucius said. "I must say, your fascination with 'Erky' seems to be a passion of your's." Serra turned red.

"Um, Brother Lucius, hi . . ." she said, embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that, I just thought-"

"Why _are_ you obsessed with that mage?" Lucius asked passively. Serra shrugged.

"He's kinda cute," Serra said dismissively. "Okay, he's very cute. And he _should_ be respecting me as his superior! It doesn't matter that he's not under my contract anymore, I introduced him to Lord Eliwood and Hector! Everyone knows they're both captivated by my charm-" Serra was interrupted by a strange cough from Lucius.

"Brother Lucius? Are you laughing at me?" Serra said haughtily. Lucius cleared his throat.

"I . . a little. I find you quite intriguing, Sister Serra," Lucius said.

"Intriguing? Brother Lucius," Serra gasped, placing a hand over her heart. "You have your vows of chastity to uphold! I'm flattered by your confession of love- really, truly flattered, but . . ." Serra looked into Lucius' eyes, and lost a bit of her steam. They were such a calm blue, and his long blonde hair made them stand out wonderfully . . .

"You're really pretty," she mumbled. Lucius was taken back a bit, but recovered quickly.

"Sister Serra? Did I say something to disturb you?" he asked. "You've gone very quiet all of a sudden." Serra was still staring at Lucius, dumbstruck.

"Sister Serra, I am a male. While I'm no master of language, I don't think men can be 'pretty'," he offered.

"Entrancing . . . what beautiful eyes . . ." Serra said quietly.

"Sister Serra? Are you alright?" Lucius asked, now concerned. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Serra was struck with a textbook case of love at first sight. But certainly not with him! Could she? Well, even if it was, this was Serra he was thinking about. Lucius gave it three days at maximum before she forgot about her spontaneous crush and went back to pursuing Erk.

"Serra . . . Serra . . he said my name! A man so beautiful as that said my name!" Serra cried.

"Sister Serra? I am standing right here, you know," Lucius said. Serra seemed to be off in her own world- so, pretty much nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Oh, Elimine preserve me! Even his voice is beautiful!" she said ecstatically. Lucius placed a hand against her forehead.

"Child, do you have an illness?" Lucius asked gently. Serra clasped his hand, her eyes wide.

"May St Elimine bless me- this gorgeous man, caring for my health! I think I'm in heaven . . ." she gasped, her heart skipping a beat. Lucius didn't bother waiting for a medical conclusion- Serra had either a fever or a temporary bout of insanity. Or maybe she was just desperate.

"I think I should take you to bed," Lucius said.

"Yes! Oh, Brother Lucius, I knew you loved me!" Serra cried, grabbing her clothes. Lucius turned around.

"Sister Serra, what are you doing?" he asked, shocked. Serra stopped, one arm out of her robes.

"You said you were going to take me to bed," she said, her eyes wide and innocent.

"_Your_ bed," Lucius specified. "I'm going to take you to your cabin, put you to bed, and leave you to sleep." Serra looked downcast, and placed her sleeve back into her clerical robes.

"Very well," she said, clearly disappointed. Lucius led her down the corridor to her cabin, before wincing. They were sharing a cabin! Well, he'd just have to lock her in and keep the key on him. Or maybe tie her to the bed.

The monk opened the door and pushed Serra into the cabin.

"Now go to sleep, Sister Serra," Lucius said. Serra nodded, and clambered into the bed. Lucius left, locking the door and placing the key in his pocket. The day couldn't come too quickly when Serra forgot about her infatuation and went back to trying to win over Erk.

-----

Rebecca leaned on the railing, watching the Dread Isle. It was almost five in the evening, and the Dread Isle stubbornly remained shrouded in fog. What a gloomy place. It was so good to be sailing back to Badon, back to actual land. The waves were splashing rather serenely against the ship, and Rebecca felt happy. Goodbye Dread Isle, and all the bad things that happened there!

"Rebecca?" Raven said, walking over to her. Rebecca turned to see her mercenary companion stand next to her. The archer was about to greet him cheerily before she remembered she wasn't supposed to be talking to him. She turned away.

"About what I said earlier, Rebecca . . . I want to apologise," Raven said. Rebecca ignored him, watching the isle of Valor sink away.

"I know you care for me, and you want to help me. You have a good heart, and there aren't enough of those in the world," Raven said. "But don't waste your time trying to help me. Even if you've lied to yourself to the point where you think you love me, I don't want you getting hurt. You're only fifteen: you don't know what love feels like yet." Rebecca rounded on him angrily.

"And you do?" she snapped.

"No," Raven admitted. "But I've seen people get hurt over the impossible quests of their hearts . . . and I don't want it to happen to you. In this regard, I suppose I care for you. You are an accomplished cook, after all," the mercenary said awkwardly. "I don't want you putting your talents and life on the line for me, even if you think you love me. Do you understand?" Rebecca nodded.

"I think so," she said. "Thank you, Raven."

"You're wel-" Raven began, but Rebecca had come out of nowhere and kissed him. Raven's eyes widened, and he felt his arms curling around her frame for a second as he returned the kiss; foolishly, and against all judgement, he returned the kiss.

Before he actually realised anything, the kiss had ended. Rebecca looked him in the eyes; Raven's typical wall suppressing emotions flicked back up. But, for maybe a second, Rebecca had seen something there.

"Well, now I know," Rebecca said quietly, before walking away. Raven couldn't do anything but stutter at her back.

"Y-You . . . you- you can't just- you . . ." he stammered, watching her go. The archeress slipped a glance back, before grinning to herself. Let the games begin.

Serra: Well, that ends another chapter of Person's Unknown.

IceBlade28: . . . .

Serra: I guess he's still out cold from when I hit him. So, it's up to me.

Next time, on Person's Unknown: X has stowed away once again on the _Davros_, but his wound isn't healing- unless he gets medical treatment, there's a good chance he'll die. But with the bolstered security Kaira is enforcing, will he be able to slip past the guards and steal healing supplies? Perhaps it would be better to kidnap a healer . . . or enlist the help of Lyndis. But Lyn would never go behind the tactician's back like that- would she? Tune in next time, for Chapter XVIII: Conflicts of the Mind and Heart

IceBlade28: . . . Review . . . please . . . help- me . . .

Serra: Hey, he's awake! (knocks IceBlade28 out again.) As _I_ was saying, reviews would be great! They keep Taylor writing, not to mention get the stories updated quicker!


	18. Chapter XVIII: Conflicts Of The Mind

IceBlade28: Well, another chapter has crawled from the recesses of my mind to my fans.

Serra: I'll start the summary of last chapter.

IceBlade28: You catch on quick.

Serra: Well I never! (Goes to lay out IceBlade28 with staff)

IceBlade28: No! (catches staff). Serra, if you do that again, so help me I will fire you as my muse.

Serra: Blast.

IceBlade28: Good little cleric. Now give the readers what they want.

Serra: Okay. (Headshot with Heal staff.)

IceBlade28: XX.

Serra: Now, last chapter:

In the previous chapter I knocked Taylor out with my Heal staff, much like what I've just done now. Then Chapter XVII: Ocean Bound, began.

X was faced down by Guy, and the green-cloaked meanie wasn't doing very well. The poison Matthew had hit him with was really making him sick, and it wasn't exactly a fair fight. There was really only one way for the assassin to survive- talk his way out of it. Good luck with that one, I say! So X kept talking, playing to the two points he could think of- Guy's pride as a Sacaen and his enjoyment of a fair fight. Things were actually going X's way when Guy decided to kill him. X tried the 'I'm unarmed' card. Guy gave him a spare sword. X could barely lift it, so Guy decided to knock him out and take him back to camp. He didn't get a chance- the poison had made it to X's brain, and the poor assassin started to jibber and giggle. Truth be told, Guy thought the kid was going nuts. X then threw up. There was a surprising amount of green jelly in there- not that I examine people's puke or anything. Anyway, once X got rid of that, he started to recover. The assassin regained his strength, and Guy stabbed him hard. Witty repartee followed, and Guy twisted and sawed with the sword in X's chest. He screamed like a girl; go Guy! The myrmidon kicked X between the legs, but instead of the soprano voice and the tears and the foetal position, X just got annoyed and pulled the sword out of him. Not the smartest move, as far as smart moves go. X decided he was better off stumbling and crashing away than staying for the fight. Guy would've pursued, but he bumped into a teary Priscilla; a Priscilla who thought he was still dead.

Lyn reknighted Kent in a nice little ceremony in her tent, and the tactician popped in afterwards, telling them to 'Pack up, we're leaving'. Outside the tent, Tactician Kaira expressed her . . . rather 'outspoken' dislike towards X and told Lyn about the consequences that would ensue if Kaira found out anyone was assisting X.

Legault was fiddling with the gold he stole from Lyn when Matthew swiped it from him. The two thieves then got into a long discussion about loyalty, and particularly the scar over Legault's left eye. The Hurricane told a tale of an assassin a decade ago- were it not for the time difference, Matthew would've sworn the assassin was X. But, the dates just didn't add up, so Matthew dismissed it. At the end of the story, Florina came over to Matthew and asked to see him in her usual stammery-Florina way. It was this time that Matthew found out about Leila's death. He responded in his way, though at the look on his face Florina withheld Leila's dying message.

Ninian wanted to talk to Eliwood on the ship, to apologise for what she had done: through her eyes it was her fault that Lord Elbert was dead. Halfway through her apology, Nils came up and grabbed her arm. The dancer didn't want to leave, but she followed her brother to their room. Nils then interrogated Ninian about 'the man in green', and what she knew of him. A spoiler was about to be revealed-

When I came outside the door, looking for the ever-elusive Erky. I thought I saw his robes flick around the corner, so I went and jumped on him! I thought I'd finally found my Erk when I saw that it was actually Brother Lucius I'd jumped on. I flirted with him, he acted polite, I grew a major crush on him in the space of five minutes, he acted flustered and locked me in our room. I went to sleep, my heart aflutter; Lucius pocketed the key and hoped my sudden crush would fade as quickly as it had come.

Rebecca and Raven had their romantic moment, while Raven explained his feelings to Rebecca. She listened, and before Raven had the chance to say anything else Rebecca was kissing him. Raven started to kiss back for a moment before Rebecca jumped away and walked away with barely a word. Raven was left stammering, while Rebecca- well . . . "Let the games begin,".

Serra: And that's pretty much all that happened in the previous chapter. Now, start the-

IceBlade28: You're so going to pay for this. (sends Serra far, far away). Right. Now: start the fic!

**Chapter XVIII: Conflicts of the Mind and Heart**

X stumbled through the corridors of the _Davros_. His injury wasn't healing; the blood had dried to a painful crust and his cloak was sticking to the inside of the wound. It didn't half hurt.

The assassin placed a hand on the wood wall, trying to breathe. It was a little hard with a hole in his lung. Hurt like nothing else to breathe; X felt like he was permanently underwater. Breathing was becoming a top priority, never mind finding a place of solitude where he could hide for the boat journey.

X pressed his forehead against the cool grain of the wood, coughing violently. Blood flew from his lips and splattered against the wall. His punctured lung was playing with him, a game of outwitting time.

X fell against the door he was near, pushing open the handle and collapsing onto the floor with a yell. Falling on a punctured lung was another stupid idea in a too-long list of stupid ideas. Crying, he pulled his arms underneath him, spitting everything out in his mouth and trying to get up. Tears mingled with the blood on the floor, and his head pounded like an angry wyvern. X managed to look through blurry eyes at the rest of the area he'd intruded on.

But more importantly at the sole occupant of the room.

X grunted, pulling himself closer to get a better view. Who's room had he broken into? It didn't matter. If he didn't get medical help _now_, he would die. And his healing power was doing jack-all for him.

"Help . . . m-me," he stammered, his voice laced with pain. The feeling of drowning came again, and his eyes slid in and out of focus. A thick layer of blood had soaked into the wood behind him and was dripping from his lip.

"It's you . . ." Florina mumbled, staring at the assassin. "I . . you're the boy who's . . ." X squinted at the Ilian's face.

"Flo'na?" he mumbled. Florina trembled at her name.

"You're hurt," she squeaked, already starting to cry. X blinked through his tears; it almost took too much energy to hold his head up.

"I need-" he began, but Florina took one look at the blood and ran out the door. X felt a little neglected.

"Hey," he said, as indignantly as someone with a popped lung could manage. "Don' jus- . . . le' me 'ere," X thought he heard the sounds of footsteps fading away down the corridor.

Okay, so he'd given her the premonitions and he'd wiped out her sister's Pegasus Squadron and he'd attacked her _twice_, but he'd protected her from his father's shadow demon things! Didn't that make up for something? In retrospect, probably not. But leaving him here to bleed to death was a little harsh.

X managed to crawl underneath the bed, holding his chest wound. It was unnaturally black under there, and if not for the light streaming in the window X couldn't have told if he'd had his eyes closed or not.

The assassin scooted around to face the light before he coughed up something wet and hot and consciousness slipped away.

-----

"L-Lyn!" Florina cried, shaking. Lyn turned to find Florina a mess, tears streaming and body trembling. Florina was semi-back-to-normal, then.

"It's okay, Florina," Lyn cooed. "What's wrong?" Florina let Lyn draw her close, sniffling.

"There's . . . s-someone in my room- he's . . . he's bleeding, really bad." Lyn's eyes widened.

"Someone's bleeding? Who? Are they okay?" Lyn said sternly. Florina looked up at her protector and friend; the look in her eyes was all Lyn needed.

" . . X?" Lyn whispered carefully, looking around. Florina flinched and curled tighter to Lyn. No mistaking it now. X had gone after her closest friend; her own feelings and intrigue towards him counted for naught. This boy was going to die. If he was already bleeding badly, then Lyn wouldn't have to exert herself to kill him. Even if . . . even if X did give her Florina back.

Lyn blinked. She needed to keep her mind clear for the execution. If X got even one word out before she attacked, he might be able to string it out enough to convince Lyn not to kill him. He'd done it before, what's to stop him doing it again?

"Show me where he is," Lyn said gently, her other hand tight on the hilt of the Mani Katti. Termination was warranted, and if X was as injured as Florina claimed, it was probably justified too.

Florina nodded and scuttled off back towards her cabin, with Lyn in tow. Hopefully X hadn't died by the time they got back.

-----

Kaira watched Lyn and Florina run towards the door of the cabin block, and the tactician smirked. She hated being right all the time.

The tactician strode after the two, moving quickly despite her tactician robes. The door was left open, so Kaira waited until the sound of footsteps on stairs stopped before slipping through the gap herself.

The tactician frowned as her somewhat over-ample bust impacted against the outside of the cabin wall, stopping her from getting through the gap. Kaira rolled her eyes and placed an arm to her bust, pushing it against herself to flatten it as much as possible; eventually she managed to squeeze through the gap between door and cabin wall. It was times like those that reminded Kaira that a chest size so large as her's could be not just a bother but an obstruction. Nevertheless, Kaira made a mental note to try and do something about her large bust as she tip-toed down the stairs. The tactician didn't need to remind herself which room was Florina's; it was the room she'd hidden X's little . . . 'present' in.

Kaira padded slowly down the hall, listening for the sound that would mark the voice of X. _C'mon,_ she prayed. _Just let me catch this assassin, so I can interrogate and rid myself of the little piece of-_

The tactician cut herself off as she heard Lyn's and Florina's voices.

"H-he was right here, I know it . . . where'd he go?" Florina mumbled. She looked at Lyn.

"Lyn, I wouldn't make this up! He was here!" she said urgently. Lyn shook her head.

"No, I believe you Florina. The stain on the floor is a little hard to miss," she said dryly, pointing to a large area of darkened wood. Florina looked at the mentioned area of planks.

"Oh," she said. Lyn drew her Mani Katti slowly; those who listened could hear the faint ring in the air as she held it in the air.

"Look which way the blood runs," Lyn said, motioning with her finger. Florina followed said streak, watching it run under the bed.

"You think-" Florina began. Lyn didn't hang around for her answer, preferring to jump onto the bed and stab hard through the mattress and wooden bottom, sinking her sword into whatever was beneath.

Nothing screamed. No sound at all.

"Maybe I killed him straight off," Lyn said, sounding a bit deflated. Florina had her hands over her mouth, horrified. Lyn'd killed him! She was meant to _help_ him, not hurt him!

Kaira smiled from behind the wall. Lyn had done as she was meant to do. All was as it should be; the assassin was dead, and Kaira could focus on the more pressing deed of getting them back to Badon and delivering the body of Lord Elbert back to Pherae.

Lyn got to her hands and knees, peering under the bed. The sight she saw was not the sight she wanted; Lyn got to her feet angrily.

"He's gone!" she bellowed. Kaira gave a start. X was gone? What? No! X wasn't 'gone'! He was meant to be under that bed! He was supposed to die today, blast it!

Florina dropped to her hands and knees and peered under the bed; sure enough, the assassin had disappeared.

"You were going to kill me in one stroke, huh Lyn?" X said, dumping himself out of the closet. His legs buckled, but the assassin stayed upright. Florina immediately scuttled behind her friend while Lyn raised the Mani Katti.

"Where's the gratitude?" he wheezed, his hand over the hole through his body. "I save Kent's life, I give you back Florina, and you try to kill me?"

"You killed my friend. You killed Kaira," Lyn growled.

"She came back, didn't she?"

"That's besides the point!"

"Really?" X asked rhetorically, tasting something in his mouth that probably shouldn't have been there. Lyn looked down and away for a moment, trying to overcome the feelings that were awash again. The very sight of this boy did things to her.

"You're toying with me," Lyn said at last. "With my emotions." X frowned.

"If I am, I'm-" he cut himself off as blood slipped through his gritted teeth. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, gazing at it. The blood was much darker than before; he had little if any time.

"At risk of my dignity . . Lyndis, I need your help. I need healing supplies. I need a staff user- I need _something_. And I need it fast, or I'm going to die," X said. Lyn feigned indifference.

"So? If you die it's the best for everyone," she said coldly. X would've laughed, but it hurt to breathe.

"Is it best for Florina?" he said. "Is it best for her premonitions? Is it best for your tactician friend who happens to be eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Kaira cursed quietly. How the devil did this assassin boy know she was there! Kaira decided to enter the room. Her ace had been found.

"Glad you could join us," X coughed. Kaira had an ugly look on her face.

"You won't be around to offer witty repartee for much longer, scum!" she shrieked, pulling a dagger from a hidden place and lunging. X grabbed her wrist and twisted it, making Kaira curse and drop the blade to the ground. It was kicked into a corner.

"I never strike a woman," he gasped. The effort of self-defence had visibly cost him. Kaira raised an eyebrow.

"A chivalrous assassin? Never heard of that before. I'll put it to the test," she said evilly, balling her fist and laying a punch right between X's eyes.

The assassin's eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the floor as effectively as a limp rag.

Kaira wrung her hand out, smiling in a pleased manner. Lyn stood there like a frozen chicken and Florina ran to the assassin's side, her hands waving in the air. It was a risky ploy, but this boy had saved her life. _It's worth it_, she told herself. She couldn't really control her power, so Florina took a deep breath and touched X's cheek.

"I . . . I-I'll try," she whispered. Kaira raised an eyebrow, while Lyn's mind was working frantically. Florina had explained to Lyn how her premonitions worked; apparently X was a major part of them. Even though the Ilian had never actually _said_ anything, Lyn still suspected X to be the catalyst for her friend's nightmares. In which case . . .

"Florina, no!" Lyn shouted, lunging.

Florina's hands made contact with the wound.

-----

Erk ran a hand over the pages of a book; he'd picked it up off the Black Fang sage, Aion. It was a thunder-style tome, by the look of it, but with considerably more range. The inscription on the cover described the word 'Bolting', but until further analysis of the ancient writings could be made Erk would not be able to find out the book's true name.

"Fascinating," he mumbled to himself, tracing a finger over the inscriptions on a page. Some patterns here were completely alien to him, but he could pick up bits and pieces of translation.

"What is that you're reading, Erk?" Priscilla said, wandering up to her escort. Erk looked at his charge.

"Oh, this. It's a tome I picked up from our Sage friend on Valor," Erk said, closing the book and handing it to her. Priscilla took the tome with slender fingers, opening it to the first page.

"I can't read it," she said, surprised. Erk laughed.

"Of course not. You haven't been taught," the mage said. "This is the writing I translate and incantate every time I use a spell on the battlefield."

"My goodness," Priscilla said, staring at the complex words. "Isn't it hard?" Erk shrugged.

"Once you know what to do, I guess it's like everything else. My mentor always told me that puzzles are easy when you have the key," Erk explained. Priscilla smiled at him; Erk bit his lip.

"Like here," he said, pointing to a phrase on the page. Priscilla's hand reached up to run her fingers along the page when their hands brushed.

Erk tried not to go red. Her hands were soft, startlingly so, and even though she tried to hide it Erk knew Priscilla was in love with him. The same dilemma beat upon him: should he allow her to love him, and return her feelings knowing what would happen?

Priscilla watched Erk carefully, green eyes softening. He was handsome, in a passive kind of way. He'd saved her life-

-but so had Guy. How did Guy fit into her heart? She'd used him originally, used him as a way of making Erk jealous, but now what?

_Elimine's sake, girl, pull yourself together!_ Priscilla told herself. _You're wearing your heart on your sleeves. Don't be so foolish!_ She was too wrapped up in her feelings to realise they were still touching hands.

"I must take my leave of you, Lady Priscilla," Erk said, standing quickly. "Something has come to my attention." Priscilla nodded, staying seated.

"You may leave, Erk," she said formally. Erk nodded and walked quickly away. Sea air was supposed to be good for clearing your head. He certainly needed it.

-----

Ninian smiled slightly as she smoothed out the creases in her ribbon. Her dancing ribbon had gotten awfully dirty in her trip from the Dread Isle and such, and now seemed like a quiet enough time to clean it. Nils was trilling away on his flute, a merry little tune. The sound of music helped to emphasise the peace they were experiencing; it was a rare lull. No pirates, no storms at sea, no mutinies, no people-plotting-to-kill-other-people, no assassins . . . it was rather nice.

It was also naive of them to expect it to last.

Something happened. Neither of the dragonkin knew what it was, only that it was bad. And it was close.

"Ninian, you-" Nils said.

"I feel it too," Ninian interrupted, dropping her ribbon and running out the doors. Nils had his flute tight in his hand and was close behind her. Their destination was already in mind: Florina's room.

-----

Florina opened her eyes, heat washing over her. The room had gone dark, and a muffled roaring echoed. She was back. Back in the caverns.

"X?" she said, turning every which way. There was no sound. Florina shouted the assassin's name again, waiting patiently. After a while a groan echoed from a pocket metres to Florina's right; the Ilian scuttled in the direction of the sound.

It must have been a figment of her imagination, because the groan had come from a crater filled with magma.

"I guess not," she mumbled, turning away.

The hooded eyes of an assassin stared blankly back at her. Florina yelped and tried not to fall into the lava.

"You," X growled. Florina examined the boy; there was still a hole in his chest.

"I-I think I can help you," Florina said meekly.

"No-one can help me!" X bellowed, startling Florina. "How can you help me if you don't even know me!"

"Easily!" Florina shouted back, before turning bright red and stammering. X raised an eyebrow.

"If you help me, I'll help you. I don't want to die," X said, wavering. Florina nodded.

"I think I can . . ." she began, reaching towards X's wound; she hesitated. X smiled gently.

"Don't worry," he said softly. Florina nodded and placed both hands inside X's body, hoping that what should happen would happen.

It did. Florina gasped as her veins popped up, the shining material flowing down her bloodstream and through her and out of her fingertips and into X, sealing the hole, restoring litres of lost blood. After a short while it was finished.

"It is done," X said, stretching. "Now, to solve _your_ problem." Florina nodded. The assassin was trustworthy. It took a lot to earn Florina's trust. Hence, she would trust him not only because he was trustworthy, but in this realm of premonitions she didn't have much other choice.

X took the opportunity to kick her in the chest, knocking her off her feet and backwards into the fire. Florina didn't even register hate- just shock and confusion. X had hurt her, X had betrayed her, he'd knocked her into the fire, St. Elimine, what was going to happen to her?

The fire burned her into nothingness. As liquid fire is prone to do. Nothing was new about it; Florina's consciousness shut down as pain flooded her senses. It was the only way out of this place, and both she and X knew it.

The assassin watched Florina's body crumble into ashes on the surface before following suite and diving headfirst into the magma.

-----

Ninian and Nils crashed into Florina's room.

"Lady Lyn, I felt danger nearby-" Nils said. Kaira turned to look at the children, then back at Florina, who was slumped over the assassin's body. Neither were breathing.

"Give them time," Ninian said, closing her eyes and concentrating. "They are communicating . . they're in the other realm together. It's as if the boy's healing can only be taken place there. Florina is . . . oh my- she has the ability to- but how . . ." Nils tapped her shoulder with his flute.  
"Sister, I don't think Lady Lyn can see what you're seeing," Nils said gently, noticing the looks on Lyn's and Kaira's faces. "Maybe you'd better _tell_ them what you can see."

"Oh. Right. Um . . ." Ninian said, closing her eyes again. "The assassin is offering to fix Florina's problem . . ."

"What problem?" Lyn said. "The premonitions aren't a problem, are they?"

"They might be. I've noticed Florina's combat skills have been failing since she stared having these dreams," Kaira said.

A blur of green and a scream startled them all; by the time the occupants had gathered their wits X was upright, holding Kaira's dagger to Florina's throat.

"They're coming back!" Ninian said, opening her eyes.

"Old news, girl," X snarled.

"Let her go, scum," Lyn said, her Mani Katti in the air. X held Florina tight around the waist, his other hand holding the blade to her throat.

"Not a chance. This girl is my bargaining token; as long as I have her you can't do anything," X said. Kaira ground her teeth.

"What do you want?" she said. X smirked.

"Always straight to business, eh Sister?" he said. "Well, too bad. Because business is the last thing on my mind. I am going to kill you, and this time you won't be coming back. Not just you either. Half of this army shall fall before the time when destinies collide," X monologued. Kaira's expression could've set the walls on fire.

"People are going to die. Who you protect from me is up to you. Until then, _adieu_, my dear sister," X said maliciously, angling the blade down and slashing. It cut Florina's uniform open and nicking the aorta.

The green-cloaked boy tossed Florina aside as easily as a doll and made his way for Lyn; the long blade of the Mani Katti couldn't be used in such close quarters. Kaira threw herself to the side in a bid to give Lyn more blade room. In short, it worked. Lyn was able to get her own in and the two were soon fencing in the tight quarters of the room. Kaira backed Ninian and Nils into a corner, shielding them with her body.

"Nils, you've got your flute. Is there some kind of tune or melody or something that would help out here?" Kaira muttered.

"Well, I c'n think of two," Nils said, squashed between his sister and the tactician. "One'd help Lyn out, the other'd make X weaker."  
"Help Lyn," Kaira said firmly, taking a small step forward to give Nils some flute room. Nils took a breath, raising the flute to his lips and blowing a starting note. Lyn was backed into a corner, fencing with the top twelve centimetres of the Mani Katti; it was extremely awkward.

Nils' fingers flew over the flute in a rapid semiquaver rhythm. Lyn's ears twitched, and the music pulsed into and through her. Her swordwork increased, and she was able to force X back to the middle of the room.

X gritted his teeth. Lyn's swordwork had not only gotten better, but it was growing faster by the minute. The air was starting to turn Lyn-coloured, and he was hard pressed to keep his defence tight.

Lyn laughed in time to the music and gave a small hop; with the music's effect she rose nearly two feet into the air. It was the perfect height for a roundhouse kick; a kick which she put all her newfound power into.

X caught her foot and wrapped his other hand around the upper-inside of her thigh, throwing her to the ground. Lyn tucked herself into a roll and stood up, her legs tingling. Perhaps it was the giddiness that had engulfed her that blinded her to the punch X threw; it connected solidly with her nose. A quiet crack signalled a fracture, though Lyn's eyes did not water.

"Now _shut up_!" X yelled, throwing his knife at Nils. The boy was concentrating so hard on the difficult melody that Kaira had to pull him back. Had she not reacted so, the knife would have slain Nils. Instead, it had a worse effect: the blade cut through the ivory flute and halved it, sending a few wooden chips skittering to the floor.

"My flute," Nils uttered, staring at the two pieces of cut wood. X smirked until he looked back at Lyn. She held the Mani Katti and was pointing the tip at his heart.

X patted himself down frantically, searching for a non-existant blade. Lyn smiled at the boy who was slapping his clothes.

"Oh, not good," X said, his hands still over his chest. Lyn stabbed at X; again, rotten luck seemed to preserve the assassin's life. He jumped to the side and brought his hands down on Lyn's forearm twice. The sword dropped from Lyn's hands.

"You might've bested me with your little boy's help, but how are you at fisticuffs?" X said, confident that the glove was on the other hand.

"I know the basics," Lyn said, throwing a tight right hook. X caught her wrist and locked his own arm around hers, punching her multiple times in the ribs before just letting her go.

"But evidently not the counter-techniques," X laughed.

"Well, I know this!" Lyn shouted, taking a single step and offering X a flying kick. He took it; in fact X accepted it wholeheartedly, even being as courteous as to stumble backwards and smash the window with his head. He screamed, a sound that Kaira relished.

"Well, I wouldn't want to comprimise my already-damaged sense of chivalry," X wheezed. "So, I'll just leave you be." The boy lunged, wrapping his arms around and between Lyn's legs and pulling them from under her. With a hop, skip, a jump, and a parting punch to Kaira's face, X was at the door.

"By the way, Lyn," he said, watching the Sacaen princess get to her feet. "Your legs are a lot softer than I expected. I guess the cushy princess life suits you; you've let yourself go to seed," he said disgustedly. Lyn's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Get some muscle back!" X said rudely, whirling his cloak.

The assassin was lucky all that was left was the echo of his laugh, because the look in Lyn's eyes would have melted steel. It seemed today was a day for evil looks.

"Florina?" Ninian asked, shaking the Pegasus Knight softly. "Florina?"

"Elimine's name, I forgot," Kaira breathed, running over. "X hit her first."

"Florina!" Lyn shouted, kneeling by the tresses of lavender hair. "Nils! Run! Get help!" The boy nodded, dropping his cut flute and running out the door. Kaira tore a strip of cloth from her tactician robes; the ceremonial garb had enough to spare.

"Kaira," Lyn said, sponging at the blood. There was a lot, perhaps too much lost. Florina would need some days in intensive care before they moved on.

"Yes?"

"X called you his sister. Was he-"

"Telling the truth?" Kaira snarled, tossing her soaked wad away and tearing off another strip. Lyn threw her's away and tore a strip from Kaira's robes as well.

"Well, yes. Was X right- is he your brother?"

"That _thing_ is not my brother," Kaira said venomously. "I never had a brother. My father abandoned me and my mother died in childbirth. I was raised on the plains. That's all you need know," she said. Lyn didn't have to be good at judging feelings to know Kaira was bitter. Bitter about her mom, bitter about Lord Elbert, and bitter about this X person.

_You've crossed a line, X_, Lyn thought. _I can live without knowing who you are, I can live without knowing why I _think_ I know you, but I cannot live with you being alive_.

"Oh dear," Kaira said, tearing a lot of cloth off her robes at once.

"What?"

"X nicked the aorta. He nicked the _aorta_. That son of a-"

"What's so special about the aorta?" Lyn said. That kind of knowledge was the stuff healers knew of, not Sacaen women.

"It's only one of the closest veins to the heart. At this rate Florina could bleed out and die because of that little-"

-----

Serra ran through the corridors, followed by a Matthew who was overloaded with Vulneraries, bandages, gauze tape, absorbant pads and even an Elixir or two.

"Hurry _up_, Matthew!" Serra whined, hustling through the corridors. "Florina is depending on us, and I won't have my reputation as a cleric of St. Elimine besmirched because _some_one was late with the healing supplies!" Matthew swore beneath the mountain of paraphernalia.

"Well you could carry some too!" he said, trying to peer around his gear. "You're only carrying a healing staff!"

"So?" Serra pouted, turning a corner. "Hurry up!" she called behind her, turning back around.

A pair of cold blue eyes stared back at her.

"Quiet," X growled, grabbing her neck in one hand and jamming his thumb up into her carotid pulse. The other hand pushed a cloth soaked with a sleeping agent into her face; it took only a few seconds before Serra was out cold.

"No-one heals the girl," he said, kicking the Heal staff into an open room. With scarcely a glance around him, he picked Serra up fireman-style and slipped out of sight.

-----

IceBlade28: There ends another chapter of Person's Unknown.

Serra: X is kidnapping _me_!

IceBlade28: Yes. Sucks to be you, huh? Now shut up and tell them about the next chapter.

Serra: Do you have any idea how stupid that sounded?

IceBlade28: Just tell them.

Serra: Next time, on Person's Unknown:

Florina is bleeding profusely; the race for life is happening again. The _Davros_ makes landfall, and Ninian confronts Eliwood seeking forgiveness for Lord Elbert's death. The Black Fang attacks, but Kaira's crew are a healer down and a psychotic assassin up. Plus, there's an arena in town; but will they have time to make some extra gold with a night invasion and a man in green trying to kill them all? Tune in next time, for Chapter XIX: A Light in The Void.

IceBlade28: You know the drill. More reviews means faster updates. Also, X _will_ be killing characters. So, as of now, I will be taking votes on whom you do _not_ want to die. This will stretch over many chapters, so the more votes the better. I repeat: vote via review on who you do _not_ want to die.

Serra: Thanks for reading! Reviews much appreciated!


	19. Chapter XIX: A Light In The Void

IceBlade28: Thus comes another chapter of Person's Unknown. I'm so proud of you all: you've brought this story to over 5000 hits and 100 reviews! Thank you, everyone!

Serra: He likes fanfiction milestones.

IceBlade28: Of course I do. They make me happy. And I'm sorry I took so long to update- I took a holiday to America, and my copy got wiped going through the airport security scanners, so I had to wait until I got home to finish writing it. Then a major problem in my personal life happened, but I won't go into it. Anyway, here it finally is: Chapter XIX: A Light In The Void. I hope it's not too bad.

Serra: I'll start the summary of the previous chapter.

Back in Chapter XVIII, after some unforgivable lip from the author-

IceBlade28: Careful . . .

Serra: After some comments quite rightly made by Taylor, and the mandatory summary of last chapter, the fic began.

X still had the hole through his lung, and things were getting bad. If he didn't get help _right then_, he would die. Wandering through the halls, he lucked out and intruded on one person who could save him: Florina. But, being Florina, she didn't take too kindly to a bleeding assassin that's given you nightmares flop on her floor, so she ran out and left him crying. X crawled underneath the bed and passed out.

Who did Florina run and get? Lyn, of course. Florina goes to Lyn for everything, and the deal with the assassin was no exception. Lyn followed the scared Ilian girl to her room, followed by Kaira, who had a little trouble slipping through a half-closed door due to the over-large size of her chest: proving that while they may be extremely large and catch the attention of many males, they just won't do in a battlefield or on a ship. Kaira squeezed through eventually and followed Lyn and Florina, who were already in the room.

The trail of blood obviously led under the bed, and to Florina's consternation Lyn did not crawl under the bed and carefully remove her friend. Lyn stepped onto the bed and stabbed through everything, aiming to kill. It went through- but X wasn't under the bed. And boy, was Kaira mad about that! Actually, X was hiding in the closet, and he half-flopped-half-stepped out the door after the sound of Lyn attacking the bed. There was a little repartee between Lyn and X, and some emotional guilt and stuff- but you don't wanna hear about that. I know you readers. You wanna hear about the fighting. So I'll get to it.

X busted Kaira, she tried to stab him with a dagger, he disarmed her, she got mad and decked him. X was out, unconscious. Florina scuttles over, after some more emotional conflict (Taylor seems to like writing about that), she stuck her hands _inside_ X. Ewww!

During all this, Erky was looking at one of his boring books, and that tramp Priscilla came up to him and faked interest in the magic book that he was reading, and I mean come on: how could Erky not see right through that? She was just _so_ faking it, anybody could tell, I mean, we have a little knowledge of magic writing as healers, we have to if we're going to heal anybody! What, you think we just wave our little sticks with jewels and everything's happy-dandy? I don't _think_ so! It actually takes _work_! I don't complain about wanting my own vassals to Matthew just for the sake of hearing my own voice! Although Matthew should be very grateful that he gets to spend so much time around me: after all, my voice is both melodic and beautiful! And-

IceBlade28: Serra, you're getting off track. Waaaaayy off track.

Serra: So? It's necessary!

IceBlade28: (growls)

Serra: Eep. Aaaaaaanyway,

After the whole ordeal with Erk, my favourite mage went and nicked off- good for Erky, I say!

Then Taylor shifted the focus to Nils and Ninian. You know, I always liked Nils. He's a good little boy. Anyway, the bro and sis were enjoying some time off, some time away from the fights and hectic life that consists of the battlefield, when they detected some kind of voodoo psychic, magic-disturbance thingie and ran to Florina's room.

IceBlade28: Voodoo psychic magic-disturbance thingie?

Serra: I don't know! It's too complicated for a cleric to get her mind around!

IceBlade28: Whatever.

Serra: In the dream realm, Florina searched around the pits of lava and general firey-rockyness of the cavern until she found our friend X. X got a little mad for no good reason, and he acted like Bartre towards poor Florina. The Ilian shouted, 'embarrassed' herself, and X calmed down. He even acted like a gentleman again, and Florina sent some shiny silvery stuff out of her veins and into X. The hole closed up. Presto-cleano.

IceBlade28: Presto-cleano?- never mind. I don't wanna know.

Serra: Thing is, Florina trusted X. And if you knew the girl like I do, you'd know it takes an unfair amount of coaxing and niceness to make that girl trust you! I guess X is just a likeable guy. Until he kicked her in the chest and knocked her into the lava.

After Nils and Ninian arrived in Florina's room, they did like a 'Big Brother' on X and Florina and watched everything, telling Lyn and Kaira what was happening. I think there was, like, a ten-second delay or something, because X and Florina woke up and X had Kaira's dagger by Florina's throat while Ninian said they were coming back into real life. I dunno, I said before I don't understand this! So, Lyn was calling X scum, and Kaira was trying to bargain, and then X called Kaira 'Sister'. Shock horror! Then X went on a little monologue thingie, telling them about how he's gonna kill half the army before 'the time when destinies collide'- whenever _that_ is. After that speech, X slashed Florina across the chest, nicking the aorta (for you boys and girls who don't know much about biology, the aorta is like I-35 or Route 66 for blood in the body.) and jumped at Lyn. As if nearly killing Florina wasn't _enough_, he went and started fencing with Lyn, since something as long as the Mani Katti is kinda useless when you're in tight quarters. So here's Lyn, backed into a corner, X is trying to kill her, Kaira's in the opposite corner using her body to shield Ninian and Lyn, and Nils starts playing on his flute. I think it was magic music or something, because Lyn got really fast at her swordwork. Long story short, it worked. X was pushed back into the centre of the room, and Lyn was getting faster and stronger as the music progressed.

So, Lyn, feeling kinda invincible, went for a roundhouse kick. I always liked watching people do roundhouse kicks. I don't know why. But it didn't work- X grabbed her ankle, wrapped a hand around the upper-inside of her thigh and threw her to the ground. It would've hurt, but we're talking about Lyn. She didn't even flinch- until X punched her and broke her nose. But, thanks to Nils' magic flute, she barely felt it. X threw Kaira's knife at Nils. If Nils hadn't moved, he would've died. But he did move, so the knife only severed his flute. No more nice ivory flute.

In the end, that was kinda stupid for X, 'cause now Lyn was angry, armed, and X was _scared_ and _un_armed. Anyway, somehow X disarmed Lyn (sheesh, the boy gets lucky!) and settled into a boxing stance, asking her something about 'fisticuffs'. I can't stand such a barbaric sport! Lyn said she knew the basics, so she tried 'a tight right hook'. X put her in an 'armlock', punched her a lot in the ribs, and just let go. Honestly, Taylor, you should be telling this part! It's all boy stuff!

IceBlade28: Say what?

Serra: Oh, never mind. Anyway, Lyn, of course, hit X with a flying kick and smashed a window with his head. After that, X got scared. Muttering some crap about chivalry, he ran off. But right before he left, he basically called Lyn fat!

IceBlade28: He said Lyn's legs were softer than he'd expected and he thought she'd gone to seed.

Serra: See? He called her fat!

IceBlade28: (shakes head).

Serra: Anyway, they'd all forgotten about Florina, bleeding away all gorily. While they were trying to stop the bleeding, Lyn asked Kaira about the 'Sister' comment from X. Kaira said he was lying: her father abandoned her, her mom died in childbirth and that's all Lyn needs to know. Thing is, a lot of reviewers didn't buy Kaira's explanation. I swear, you people, "sometimes a window is just a window."

IceBlade28: What on earth are you rambling on about now?

Serra: Nothing! After they were sponging away at Florina's blood, Matthew and I were hurrying to the rescue; after all, who else would they call on? Who else in this army has healing skills as perfect and well-known as mine? Me, that's who. So I was hurrying through the corridors, and Matthew was being such a slow-poke, complaining about the teensiest bit of weight when I had to carry my staff all by myself-

And then I can't really remember what happened. I think I went to sleep.

IceBlade28: X popped around the corner, hit Serra with his sleeping gel soaked into a rag while sticking a thumb into her carotid pulse to make sure she was asleep. Then he kidnapped her. Finally, the chapter ended.

Serra: What? X kidnapped _me?!_

IceBlade28: Yep. Sucks to be you. On second thought, sucks to be him.

Serra: What's that supposed to mean?!

IceBlade28: Nothing at all. Start the fic!

Serra: Whadd'ya _mean_ nothing at-

**Chapter XIX: A Light In The Void**

Canas rolled his finger along a page of one of his tomes, revising the elder magicks he already knew.

"Fascinating," he muttered to himself, adjusting his monocle for a closer inspection of the ancient inscription.

"Might I ask what is 'fascinating'?" uttered a polite voice in front of Canas. The shaman looked up.

"Hello, good monk," Canas said amiably. "I don't believe I've yet introduced myself. I am Canas, a practicer of the elder magic and scholar of most things uncatalogued. And you are . . .?"

"My name is Lucius; a monk in service of St. Elimine. May Her Light shine on you," Lucius replied. Canas smiled and patted the bench next to him.

"Take a seat, my friend. Are you interested in the pursuit of higher learning and greater understanding?" he asked. Lucius shrugged- or, well, half-shrugged, since he's only got one arm.

"I certainly agree with the idea of furthering one's understanding in the holy writ of Elimine's Word, but I can appreciate the want to know more about the world around us," Lucius said.

"I concur with your agreement, my friend. I always loved the humble book; books take us to fascinating new places and are essential to those upon a quest of knowledge, like myself," Canas said. Lucius nodded; it appeared the two had much in common.

"Although, I am curious as to the abilities or characteristics necessary for the users of Light magic to perform their magic's . . ." Canas said.

"Actually, you've happened upon quite a famous argument there," Lucius said. "I've always wondered how Dark- pardon me. I've always wondered how _elder_ magic was performed, and the nature's of the caster that must be made manifest in order to summon such spells. It's always seemed to me that spells of such strength must require an equal or perhaps greater spiritual strength from their casters."

"That's quite true. The elder magic I use requires great strength to master it's forces . . ." Canas cut himself off as he noticed Lucius' empty robe sleeve.

"My dear fellow, you're missing an arm. Have you noticed?" the shaman asked. Lucius blinked.

"I think I have, yes," he said dryly. Canas adjusted his monocle and fingered the sleeve.

"The wound was magical, was it not?" he asked, unfolding the sleeve and tugging a section of robe away, so Lucius' shoulder and stump of an arm were naked.

"Yes," Lucius said slowly.

"And . . . by the seasons . . your appendage was destroyed by a spell of elder nature, wasn't it?" Canas said.

"How did you come to a conclusion like that?" Lucius asked. Perhaps not coming in contact with the friendly shaman before had been a bad idea.

"Well, by the scarring that extends through here-" Canas traced a finger along a brown and dead vein. "-and the ash that remains, I knew it was a magic wound. But from there, the question would be if it was a wound caused by a powerful Anima spell, such as Fire or even it's lesser known, more powerful brother known as Elfire; or if it was caused by a spell of elder magic, which is more powerful on it's own," Canas explained. Lucius wasn't quite sure how to respond, so the shaman said it for him. Canas certainly liked to talk.

"Fascinating as this is to study here, I think it would be far more intriguing if I were to lend my knowledge to the healers, and possibly do something to get your arm back. It's not entirely impossible," Canas said, probing the ash. Lucius frowned; the shaman was joking, surely!

"I could get my arm back?" the monk said. Canas adjusted his monocle again and scraped at the ash.

"It's doubtful, but not impossible," he murmured. Lucius stood up suddenly; the port of Badon had come glaringly into view.

"We've arrived, mates!" Fargus bellowed from the stern. "All hands on deck, ye scabrous swabs! Start unloadin' yer stuff!"

Canas left Lucius and proceeded up to the stern, tapping Dart on the arm.

"Excuse me, good pirate chap, I was wondering how long it would take for us to be un-" The gaze from Dart shut the shaman up quickly.

"I'll just, er, be going then," he said, returning the way he'd come.

"It'll be about nightfall before everymate's set up!" Dart bellowed at Canas' back. Fargus raised an eyebrow.

"Ye've dealt wit' these curious magick types before, right Cap'n? Ye know how it goes," Dart said. Fargus nodded.

"Dart, I've dealt wit' more o' their type than you have hairs on your head. Killed about that many too," Fargus said thoughtfully.

-----

Kaira watched the line of people walking down the gangplank, mentally checking off each person of their army. The horses and Pegasi would be going last, since they were the most cumbersome, and then the casket of Lord Elbert.

The unloading was taking such a long time due to the tight security she had placed on the process. Anything remotely man-sized had to be double-checked and cleared by Hector, while Raven, Kent, Marcus and a few others were on constant patrol to make sure X wouldn't make a move while they were in such a delicate phase. It was slow going, and everybody's nerves were on end; Kaira had noticed Guy was particularly miffed about this. But, Guy was also the most queasy, and being a Sacaen probably wasn't used to the continuous rock of a ship on the water. Still, Lyn was Sacaen and _she_ didn't get seasick. Maybe it was just a male thing, Kaira decided. Males were the weaker sex, after all. Okay, so they were physically stronger, but there were plenty of other aspects in which women dominated.

Matthew swung his legs over the railing of the _Davros_ and sat on the ledge, humming a tune as he watched people struggle down the gangplank. Granted, he was meant to be helping out, as the young master's helper and all, but . . . this seemed more fun.

"_Matthew!_" Kaira bellowed.

More fun until now, at least.

"_Get your behind off the ship and help unpack!_" Matthew rolled his eyes and twisted around, planting his feet back on the deck. If Kaira wanted him off the ship, she was gonna get him off the ship.

Kaira watched the thief walk away onto the deck.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Don't you walk away from me!" A few snickers from the gangplank were quickly shut up by one of Kaira's famous death glares. Kaira turned back to the ship when a figure in a red cloak jumped onto the railing and pushed into mid-air.

Matthew did a graceful somersault before landing on his feet two feet in front of Kaira. To her credit, she didn't even blink.

"I've seen it before," she said sarcastically. "If you want to be an acrobat, I'll discharge you and send you to the circus. Now help unpack!"

Matthew walked off to the gangway, making a rude sign under his cloak.

"I saw that," Kaira snapped. Matthew quickened his pace, discreetly muttering something under his breath about insane large-breasted women. Kaira snarled. The boy didn't learn.

"I heard that too!!" Matthew broke into a run.

-----

Eliwood sat on the bed in his room at Badon, still numb. His father was dead, after all. It'll keep the wind out of your sails after a day or two. And if you've fought your rear off to save him and then have him die in your arms, well, that'll pretty much tear up the sails and sink the boat.

"Um, excuse me . . ." came a voice. Eliwood looked up to see Ninian and Nils, accompanied by Lyndis.

"You're Elbert's son, aren't you?" Nils asked, staring at Eliwood. Eliwood tried to smile; it came out halfway.

"How'd you know?"

"Your red hair, gentle eyes, and your voice if it wasn't so full of grief. You're just like him," Nils said simply. Eliwood was intrigued, despite of himself.

"Where did you meet my father?"

"At the Dragon's Gate. He set us free after we'd been captured. We escaped in a small boat, I think he called it a 'dory'; but I was thrown out in a storm. When I awoke, I was back on Valor," Nils explained. The bard had Eliwood's attention now. Any knowledge about his father's time in captivity would help. The sudden thirst for knowledge about his father hit Eliwood like a craving for pie. (a/n: I like pie. Don't ask.)

"For a time, I hid in the ruins by myself. Then . . . I sensed something really dangerous, and someone really . . well, weird. When I raced to the Dragon's Gate, I saw everything; your father, the dragon, the boy in green- everything," Nils finished.

"Nils . . ." Ninian said sympathetically. Lyndis decided to fill Nils in on the missing parts of the tale.

"When we pulled Ninian from the boat, she'd lost her memory. I can't believe we brought her right back to her captors," Lyn said sheepishly. "What a horrible thing to do . . . I'm sorry."

"Lady Lyn, you didn't do anything wrong," Ninian said. "When Nils fell overboard, I didn't know what to do. I became lost within myself . . . if I'd only been stronger, all of this could have been avoided," Ninian said, a sudden bitterness detectable. "I am truly sorry."

"Ninian's power is greater than mine, but it costs her physical and emotional strength. Nergal exploited that . . weakness," Nils said, his voice breaking. The two were about as close as brother and sister got, and each shared the other's pain.

"Was he after you because you have the power to call dragons?" Eliwood asked. It was a fair guess, taking into account what little they knew of Nergal. Nils frowned, trying to act like he had to think about it.

" . . . I think it's because we have the power to open the Dragon's Gate," Nils said slowly. "Just calling them? Nergal can do that on his own."

"Are you serious?" said a voice outside the wooden door. "Oops," the voice added guiltily, now that the owner of the voice knew he or she had been busted. The door opened, and Hector walked in.

"Everyone's unpacked, so I came over, and you guys were talking, and I kinda got caught up eavesdropping," he said. "It's more fun than you think," he added brusquely. Nils raised an eyebrow at the axe user.

"Who are you?" he asked sceptically.

"This is . . 'Lord' Hector, Marquess Pherae's brother," Lyn said, trying not to say 'Lord' without snorting. "Don't let his attitude fool you. He acts mean, but he's decent enough."

"'Acts mean' seems pretty mean to me!" Hector laughed. Eliwood shook his head.

"So Nergal can call dragon's on his own?" he said, bringing the conversation back on topic. Nils nodded.

"Yes, but it requires a tremendous amount of quintessence."

"Wait- quintessence?" Lyn asked. Nils shrugged.

"That's just what Nergal called it. The substance of the human spirit . . . power. Energy. The essence of life itself. A human soul, basically. Nergal, he stole this quintessence," Nils clarified.

"What happens to those who's quintessence is stolen?" Hector asked, looking like he wouldn't like the answer. He was right.

"They . . . they die," Nils said, trying to clear out the lump in his throat. Using quintessence like cheap fuel. Nergal was a monster.

"Neither Ninian nor I have that power," Nils said quickly, in case his friends got the wrong idea. "Lyn knows. We only have our special power . . ." he lied. Ninian didn't bat an eyelid at his brother's fib. It had to be done. The noblemen and noblewoman would most likely kill the two on sight if they knew they were ice dragons in disguise.

"Anyway, Nergal needed a large amount of quintessence. So he sent his henchman, Ephidel, to get close to Marquess Laus. He wanted to get Marquess Laus to start a war; gave the Marquess promises to fuel his hunger for power."

"To what end?" Eliwood said quickly.

"It seems the quintessence in each person varies in strength. A person of strong mind and body has hundreds of times more energy than the average person. It sounds like there aren't many people like that, though.

"It took too long for Nergal to find people with enough strength. Even though it would take time, Nergal said many times that the fastest way to gather enough quintessence would be to start a war," Nils finished.

"So he planned on replacing quality with quantity? That's sick!" Hector said. Lyn nodded in agreement.

"Nils, wait a moment," Lyn said, thinking. "What does quintessence look like?" Nils froze. The assassin in green had screwed up if Lyn and the others were catching on. He'd have to speak with X before the night was through.

"I . . . I don't know," he lied weakly. Lyn raised an eyebrow to herself, but otherwise stayed quiet. Nils continued his story.

"Ephidel brought Elbert to the Dragon's Gate. He said they'd found the ideal source. Even though Nergal's plans for mass war had been stopped, he was still happy. He'd taken almost enough energy from the knights travelling with Elbert; he was sure he'd get even better quintessence from Elbert himself . . ." Nils trailed off when he saw Eliwood's pained face.

"I'm sorry, Lord Eliwood," the bard said quickly.

"It's alright, Nils. When I saw my father in that state at the Dragon's Gate, I knew his knights were no longer alive . . ." he said, his voice cracking. There were too many memories . . . far too many . . .

"Your father told us he had a son," Nils said gently, wanting to reverse the damage he'd just done. "He said you were blessed with natural fighting ability, but you were also compassionate and disliked fighting. He told us his son would be a better ruler than he was. He said he'd sooner sacrifice himself than see his homeland, Lycia, embroiled in the flames of war.

"When we'd lost all hope at the Dragon's Gate, your father always spoke to us of happy things. He mainly spoke of his cherished son and beautiful wife, but Ninian and I . . . we came to see him as a surrogate father for us. His stories at the Dragon's Gate . . they saved us," Nils said, hoping it would help Eliwood. It didn't.

"Oh, Fath-" Eliwood croaked, nearly breaking down and weeping in the middle of his friends. Hector caught Lyn's eye.

"We should let him be alone for a while," he said, moving for the door. Lyn nodded, wincing to herself. Maybe she'd go to her cabin after this; she kinda hurt all over.

"C'mon, Nils . . ." The dragon boy nodded and followed her outside. Once outside, Lyn muttered something intelligible and strode towards her own cabin, feeling tight all over and shaking a little. Hector watched her go.

"What's her problem?" He asked the air.

-----

Lyn opened her cupboard door to a mirror and peeled her Sacaen garb off of her. Granted, she was in her underwear, but she felt like she could _breathe_. Unconsciously, the remark about her going to seed played in her mind. Lyn frowned and stared at her body in the mirror. Why did what X say actually bother her? It was just an insult, something to be brushed off.

Lyn inspected herself critically. Then again . . .

She turned to the side, and her eyes widened. Her stomach had lost it's flat, taut wall and actually had a curve to it. Her chest also seemed too large for her bra; was it her imagination, or was it getting tighter by the second?

Lyn tested her stomach and winced. There was indeed a soft- thin, but definitely visible- curve of fat that had taken it's comfortable seat over her muscles, and invited a few of it's friends. She pinched her hips, calves, sides- they'd all grown much softer and had the tell-tale thickness of settling down and allowing fat to pour on. In some places, it already had.

Lyn stared at her thighs in the mirror. It was clear to anybody they'd grown larger, and Lyn didn't have to poke them to know her thighs had increased about three fingers worth in every direction.

"How could I let myself become this?" she murmured, turning to the side again. Her stomach curved out as though she had ingested a particularly spongy meal, and Lyn was honestly surprised it didn't bulge out through her tight Sacaen garb.

Lyn pulled her robe onto herself, muttering darkly. She began to do up the bodice buttons when they wouldn't budge. She tugged harder, before wincing as she realised the problem: her breasts had grown more than she thought. On closer inspection, much more. The area which used to be a little baggy on Lyn's gown was now painfully tight. She pulled hard, but any space she may have had before was now long gone. She'd outgrown her own bodice by, to her at least, an embarrassing amount. Eventually she managed to hotrig a larger bra and pull her garb around her with a couple of leather straps, but it was still painfully tight. Lyn would have to talk to Kaira; instinctually she prayed she didn't get close to the size of her friend. Lyn honestly didn't understand how her tactician could handle so much weight; her chest was _huge_. No exaggeration there, apart from that of her friend's development.

Lyn stared at herself again in the mirror before opening to door.

And staring face to face with X.

"Whoa- wrong room!" he said, blue eyes panicking. Lyn's mouth began to form words of anger when X tackled her to the ground and shoved a hand over her mouth; even when she landed hard on her back Lyn felt what new fat she had acquired cushioning her impact. X was lying on top of her, and swept the door shut with a limb.

"No screaming, now," he said casually. "Listen carefully. I don't want to have to hurt you. I'm gonna get up, you're going to stay quiet, and we can talk like civilised people."

"You tried to kill my best friends, and you managed to succeed at one point. You're giving Florina nightmarish premonitions. I wouldn't say that's particularly civilised," Lyn spat. X shrugged.

"Well, true. But I'm here now. Granted, I'm armed, but I give you my word I won't use it. You know I won't," he said, winking. Lyn froze beneath him. His wink; she'd seen it before, she could bet her life on it. X had to be a stranger from her past.

"Why are you here, and why are you still on top of me?" Lyn asked. X smiled sincerely; odd to see someone who should've embodied death smiling peacefully.

"I'm here because I thought this was Erk's cabin. I have a little message about Serra for him. And I'm still on top of you for a few reasons. One, I tackled you so you wouldn't alarm anybody. Two, you're actually quite soft and comfortable to lie on. I guess I really was right about you getting fat in your princess life," X explained. Lyn's gaze fell.

"I never even realised it until just now. I've . . . well, grown," she admitted.

"I can tell," said X, with a sideways glance at Lyn's bust. He tipped his hood, revealing his boyish features and phosphorescent blue eyes. Lyn promptly punched him. X took a step back, blinking. Lyn looked satisfied.

"Okay," he said, shaking his jowls. "Whatever happened to talking civilly?"

"Fine. Let's talk about what you're doing to Florina," Lyn spat. X shook his head.

"Let's really not. It's too complicated."

"You're giving her nightmares. What's complicated about that?"

"The nature of the premonitions is complicated by itself. Never mind what I'm doing in them or how I'm supposedly causing them," X said. "How is she, by the way?"

"She's stable, but she lost a lot of blood. She won't be able to fight soon." X's face fell.

"I didn't want to hurt her _that_ badly . . . still, by the murderous look in your eye, I'd say this conversation is over," X said, while Lyn glared daggers. "Goodbye, Lyn."

Without warning, X caught her hand smoothly and kissed her. Lyn's eyes bugged out, before her memory started racing. This kiss was familiar on an incredible level, by Mother Earth, where had she _known_ this boy before?! Lyn felt herself kissing back, a tiny flutter of passion erupting in her chest. On second thought, he wasn't too bad at kissing a girl . . .

X broke it off, turning and vanishing out the door before a coherent thought entered Lyn's mind. He walked into the darkness, replacing his hood.

"Six hours, Erk . . ." he muttered. "Six hours, before she dies . . ."

-----

"Erk, what are you looking for?" Priscilla asked. Erk wandered in the darkness, holding a Fire tome.

"Serra. The tactician told me to look for her; according to Lady Kaira she hasn't been seen for hours. There's some doubt she made it off the boat," Erk explained, peering around a corner. Priscilla sniffed.

"Why are you looking for her? I thought she was rude and loud and you disliked her," she reminded him. Erk turned back to look at Priscilla.

"I don't. The year I spent as her vassal was a waking nightmare; you're not only far more mature but a far better employer," Erk said, walking around the corner and inspecting the grounds by the arena. Priscilla smiled to herself. Her charms were working on the boy.

"Then why are you looking for her?" Priscilla asked. Erk gave her a funny look.

"Because I've been ordered to; and I must say, Lady Priscilla, you're unusually set against this. A member of our army is missing, with an assassin on the loose. Besides, if it turns out Serra is dead, you've got the entire army as your responsibility to heal. I don't think you can handle that much work, Lady Priscilla," Erk said, moving slowly through the darkness. Priscilla pouted to herself. He was right. Priscilla needed Serra to share the healing duties, if for nothing else.

Erk cast a weak Fire spell and sent it high into the air, as a source of light. He looked it around, and saw the writing on the wall. Literally.

Painted onto the wall of the arena, in blood, was a message:

'Erk. Six hours. Then she dies. X.' The blood glistened in the firelight. Priscilla retched; Erk paled. He had six hours. Six hours to search Badon and find Serra, who was probably wounded. Badon was huge! There was no way . . .

"Light!" shouted a voice, and a spell sizzled into nothingness a foot to the left of Priscilla's head.

"Stay down!" Erk hissed, grabbing his employer and ducking low. Erk waved a hand over his tome and sent a burning ball of flame in the direction the spell had come. The sound of bacon in a hot pan and a scream put the enemy monk out for a while.

"Are we under attack?" Priscilla whispered.

"I don't know. That may have been a lone man, or we might be facing an army. Can you be quiet for a moment, Lady Priscilla?" Priscilla nodded, and Erk crept forward, pressing his back tight against a brick wall and listening. The voice of the enemy commander was harsh; Erk prayed that the flickering torchlights wouldn't betray his shadow.

"Listen up. Nergal wants these interfering idiots dead," Oleg commanded. "Battle is what we live for. Exterminate these idiots and get back here, understand?"

"Let's go," Erk whispered, nudging Priscilla gently. They crept away slowly, breaking into a run once they were far enough away.

"Lady Priscilla, you warn Tactician Kaira. I'll find Lord's Hector and Eliwood and Lady Lyndis. We must meet this invasion force immediately!" Erk said. Priscilla nodded, too scared to think about Erk's commands. They split up and ran into the darkness.

-----

Kent held his Iron lance at the ready, urging his horse to trot carefully into the darkness. He wasn't fond of night battles, but Tactician Kaira had called for all available soldiers, and worrying about Fiora and her sister didn't count as an activity that stopped him fighting, though it could certainly hinder it. Kent aimed his lance at a random dark blotch.

"Easy," he whispered to his horse, as the steel horseshoes clicked on the stone walk. Kent edged closer to the dark blob, drawing further away from the main group of soldiers. The darkness closed around him like a silk curtain, until he was isolated and feeling vulnerable.

The soft beat of wyvern wings drew his attention. There were wyvern riders amongst the invading Black Fang. Nergal must have considered Lord Eliwood and those with him a dangerous foe, to have sent a flock of wyverns and their Knights all the way from Bern.

Kent watched a wyvern-shaped piece of black circle around, before flying towards him. It was definitely real; not a strangely shaped chimney ornament. Kent brought his lance up.

The clash of lance against shield rang out; the sound acting as a catalyst for the cloak of stealth to be tossed aside. The sound of swords being drawn, spells chanted, and human and inhuman screams soon rang throughout Badon.

Kent blocked a thrust from the Black Fang rider and twisted his crosspiece, yanking both lance and rider from it's seat. With a swift twirl and lunge, the head of Kent's lance disappeared into the rider's breastplate. The 'tink' of helmet against cobblestone suggested to Kent that the rider was dead. But his mount was nowhere to be seen.

The Crimson Shield turned and twisted on his saddle; soldiers were notorious for relaxing after killing a wyvern Knight, only to be torn apart and eaten by it's enraged mount. Kent didn't much fancy the idea of being a midnight snack for some angry flying lizard.

The rapid beat of wings echoed at Kent's back; oddly enough, so did the sound of footsteps. Kent turned to see a mouthful of sharp teeth aimed at his neck-

And a brown boot fly out of nowhere and kick the wyvern in the head. The boot was connected to green leggings, which in turn followed on to a green cloak and cape, with a pair of shining blue eyes that flicked past just slow enough to see.

The wyvern crashed onto the ground, while X landed nimbly and pulled his Keyé Li'ink from a strap behind him.

"Naughty boy," he chided, watching the wyvern thrash on the ground, before rolling to it's feet and fixing a feral glare on X. X smirked, holding the Keyé Li'ink in a defensive position.

"Evening, Kent," X said politely, still keeping his eyes on the wyvern. Kent was completely baffled.

"Um . . hi . . ." Kent murmured, unusual in his saying of the word 'um'. X grinned, and was about to speak when the wyvern flicked it's tail and knocked the Keyé Li'ink out of X's hands; with a limb so heavy, it probably broke one of X's fingers too. The boy began to panic as the wyvern flapped it's wings to place some momentum, and dived on the assassin with a growl.

Kent watched X struggle under the wyvern's weight, saw him grab the jaws with his hands and try to keep them from shutting on his face.

"Crikey!" X shouted, as the wyvern lunged and took a chunk out of the cobblestone near his head. Kent blinked. What kind of work was 'crikey'?

X shrieked as the wyvern continued to try and bite him; evidently the creature was putting more effort into the systematic shredding of the boy's chest than the eating of X's face. It's claws dug deeper every time, and blood began to pool on the stone.

Kent put an end to the torture by shoving his lance through the belly of the wyvern; it flopped to the side with a sickly groan and ceased to move.

"Are you alright, X?" Kent asked, placing a foot to the bulk of the creature to aid the removal of his lance. Just because the assassin had tried and succeeded to kill a few of their number didn't mean manners had to be thrown out the window. This was twice X had saved Kent's neck, after all.

X lay choking on the sidewalk in a large pool of blood. Kent shook his head.

"Why did you save me if you knew you were going to die?" he asked, watching the teenager dying. X moved himself to a technically upright position and lifted his sword from the ground.

"Because . . ." he gurgled. His healing really needed to start back up. Kent watched the youth lean against the wyvern corpse for support, before his chest began to close up. Kent gasped. X's wounds were healing themself, without any magical or medicinal help. What kind of assassin _was_ this?

X rubbed a hand across his bare chest, smirking.

"I saved you because-" X gave way to mumbling. Kent took a step closer.

"Pardon? I didn't hear you," Kent said, his bloodied lance slack in his grasp. X smiled the smile of a wyvern before it's lunch . . .

And beheaded the Crimson Shield with a quick slash of his sword.

"I saved you because nobody- or in this case, nothing- takes my target away from me," X said to the collapsed body of Kent. His lance was lying across his breastplate, and the head had landed nice and close to the body.

X wiped his Keyé Li'ink clean and walked into the darkness. Now to deal with that annoying cleric, in a rather different manner . . .

-----

IceBlade28: And this ends Chapter XIX of Person's Unknown: with another one dead. And my little nod to the Crocodile Hunter; my being Australian and all.

Serra: You didn't mention me!!

IceBlade28: No, no I didn't. I not only want to prolong the suspense for my readers, but because I have a particularly nasty fate in store for you.

Serra: You had better not kill me.

IceBlade28: First off, I won't kill you: X will. And X won't kill you if Erk makes it to your hiding place within the six hour window.

Serra: You're still evil.

Kent: You had me beheaded!

IceBlade28: Yeah, I had you beheaded. X took the blow for you first time around; I figured it was poetic justice that he decapitated you.

Kent: I would've died on the Dread Isle for something I _didn't do_! Now I'm dead because of poetic _justice_?

IceBlade28: Yep.

Kent: (swears)

Serra: Um . . . I'll tell them about the next chapter, shall I . . .

Next time, on Person's Unknown: The battle rages on, and Eliwood's army is literally fighting for their life. Lowen enters the Arena under the tutelage of Marcus, but when his opponent turns out to be a Warrior, how will Lowen survive? Erk has less than six hours to find me; but will Priscilla try to stop him in the name of love? Matthew and Legault team up and work some thief magic on Oleg and his bodyguards, and X changes sides without warning, fighting alongside Lyndis! But how will she react when she finds out tis mysterious assassin killed the man she loved? Tune in next time, for Chapter XX: The Winds Of Change.

IceBlade28: Remember, more reviews, faster updates. Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter XX: The Winds Of Change

IceBlade28: Yup, another chapter of Person's Unknown here. We made it to Chapter Twenty!! (throws confetti) I'd like to thank my great penpal, my parents, my reviewers, the fanfiction website . . .

Serra: I'll just get started, shall I?

Previously, on Person's Unknown:

Canas was reading a book. I don't know why, ask him. He's the bookish one. Anyway, this Canas/Shaman type person was reading some boring book when Lucius came over and said hi. They chatted for a little while about various magic-casting jargon and spirits and whatever, before Canas made the rather astute and blindingly obvious statement that Lucius was lacking an arm. This Canas guy doesn't miss much, does he? So, after some poking and prodding at what was left of Lucius' arm, he determined it would be possible to maybe have a close to halfway chance of getting it back. After this, Canas thought he'd go and bug Fargus- he was treated like one, too. He scurried off, and the big process of unloading stuff started.

Kaira was overseeing a bunch of stuff, stressing out, yelling at Matthew, having near-psychic moments when she caught rude comebacks about her bust size and state of sanity; generally doing everything a good tactician should. Although the stressing out part was mainly her job.

Nils, Ninian, Eliwood and Lyn all gathered in Eliwood's cabin, wanting to help out Eliwood. He'd lost his dad, after all. The guy was pretty depressed, especially after he spent all that effort trying to get him back. They recounted everything to everyone, and Lyndis filled Nils in on what they'd been doing, so everyone was nice and happy and up-to-date on recent events. Hector got busted eavesdropping on their conversation, and he came into the cabin. Fancy that; the brother of a Marquess eavesdropping! How un-lordly!

IceBlade28: Serra, that's strike one. Stop putting your own comments into the recounting!!

Serra: Oh, you bossyboots! Nils clarified the nature of quintessence, and how it was basically your life essence or your soul, and told them that Ephidel was trying to get Lord Darin to start a war; do the whole 'quantity over quality' thing. This was when Lyn had a rather interesting insight: what does quintessence look like? Nils decided to lie, and our resident ice dragon made a mental note to speak to X in regards to his little slip-up. The sneaky bard then continued his narrative. After he finished, Lyn, Hector and Nils all slipped out into the night. Lyn went straight for her cabin.

Lyndis got into her cabin, stripped off her Sacaen garb and inspected her body in a mirror. X's remark was right; she'd put on weight. On closer inspection, she'd actually put on a lot more than she thought. And she did what any sensible woman would do: freaked out, but kept it to herself. She opened the door-

And found herself staring eye to eye with our green-cloaked assassin friend. X wanted to talk like a civilised person, Lyn faked an agreement; as soon as they were apart she slugged him in the nose. X blinked, took Lyn's hand and kissed her. Again. Before a coherent thought went through Lyn's head, X had slipped out the door. The whole 'gentleman of fortune' thing.

Erk was hanging with Priscilla, looking for me. Yeah, that's right, I've been kidnapped by the psycho who calls himself X. Remember that?

IceBlade28: Serra, that's strike two.

Serra: Are you gonna let me finish? The readers want to get to the new chapter!! Sheesh . . .

Anyway, Priscilla was trying to talk Erk out of looking for me without making it look like she was trying to talk Erk out of looking for me, when Erk lit a torch and found a message written on the wall of the arena. In blood. 'Erk. Six hours. Then she dies. X.'. Very simple, very gory, very dramatic. Erk was busy staring at the writing on the wall when he nearly got hit by a Light spell; he quickly put the enemy monk down. Priscilla ran to warn the tactician, Erk ran to get the Lord's, bada bing, bada boom, everyone was out and ready for combat.

Kent was trotting along like a civilised knight when a wyvern rider shot out of nowhere and nearly took him down. Kent, being the Commander of the Caelin Knights and not some slow-witted Generic Bandit, parried the blow and knocked the rider off his wyvern, where he was easy prey. The problem was, now Kent had an angry wyvern on his case and it was pitch black. He turned around and was about to have his face bitten off when X came out of the blue and kicked the wyvern in the head. The wyvern dived on X, knocking his sword from his hand and started trying to eat X's head. The wyvern was wriggling, trying to bite X while it's claws dug deeper and deeper trenches into the boy's chest; eventually Kent put his lance through the wyvern's belly and it fell over dead. X was lying in this huge puddle of blood, with his shirt and basically his entire body shredded. X's healing power kicked in, he picked up his sword . . . next thing you know, Kent is decapitated. Poor Kent. Then X walked into the darkness to come deal with me. I swear Taylor, if you let that maniac anywhere near me I'll-

IceBlade28: You'll what? Start the fic!

Serra: I'll-

**Chapter XX: The Winds Of Change**

Lyn swept her Mani Katti into a horizontal slash, opening a wound on the Black Fang monk standing in front of her; a monk who dropped his tome and fell to the cobblestones. Without pausing, Lyn turned to her left and continued her slash, allowing it to angle over her head and slide down to cut a Brigand's legs from under him. Lyn pivoted calmly, allowing the sword to come around a third time and decapitate a second monk who was just opening his book. Three victims in four seconds: almost a new record for her.

Lyn glanced to her left as a blur of green shot through a gaggle of monks and a thief; after the cacaphony of screams and sword-into-flesh-sounds had ended, Lyn saw X wiping a bloody Keyé Li'ink on the white robes of the enemy and smirking. The assassin caught Lyn's eyes and smiled wider.

"Five in as many seconds. I think I beat you," he called with a laugh. Lyn scowled, but her mood lightened a little as the thief grabbed X's ankle desperately. The assassin stomped on the thief's face, putting him out of commission.

"Okay, so only four. I still beat you," he said childishly, staring at the thief. Without warning, a Hand axe took off a few of X's longer nose hairs and sunk into the wood of the outside of the Arena. The assassin fell back, grabbing his nose to make sure it was still there. Springing to his feet and ducking a second Hand axe that had come from the same nether region that the first had, X espied a fuming Bartre fumbling with his belt for a third missile. X's eyes narrowed, and he brought his sword to bear. The Fighter had thrown one too many axes.

Lyn watched X's eyes and moved between his intended target.

"Don't try it," she yelled. "We're already _in_ a battle; we don't need a third party making things harder for us!"

"It's a bit late to tell me that!" X shouted back, breaking into a run. Lyn held her Mani Katti in her usual defensive position as the teenage boy came barrelling towars her, blue eyes glowing. _No mercy_, Lyn said to herself. X was the reason Florina was having nightmares. He'd killed Kaira. He'd nearly killed Sain. He'd attacked Matthew. Her best friend was an emotional and mental wreck. Regardless of whatever phantom memories she had of him, the boy needed to _die!_

X led with a lunge, allowing Lyn to sweep his blade out of the way; without breaking his run, he let his blade swing wide with one hand and lashed out with the other-

He didn't count on Lyn catching his wrist and tripping him. Hard. He landed on his side, winded; his Keyé Li'ink lay slack in his hand. Lyn stepped on his sword-holding wrist and placed her other foot on his chest, placing the keen tip of the Mani Katti at X's throat.

"Any words before I kill you?" Lyn hissed, her eyes dangerous. X somehow smiled his cocky, self-sure smile with a boot on his newly-reconstructed chest.

"Look to your left," he gasped. "In the courtyard." Lyn didn't want to move her head, but it was like struggling against a strong enchantment. The blasted assassin had a habit of doing that; but something about the way he spoke told Lyn he wasn't lying . . .

Lyn stared into the courtyard, not breathing. A figure in crimson armour was lying on the ground, missing his head. The tuft of red hair not a metre away gave everything away, and brought Lyn's emotional wall to a spectacular demolition.

"Kent," she uttered, her voice frozen.

"Sorry about that," X said, using his only free hand to punch Lyn in the back of the knee; it folded easily and brought Lyn to the stonework. Worming out from beneath the Sacaen princess, X trotted a few feet away and stared at Lyn. She hadn't moved from the ground, still staring at the courtyard.

And she was crying.

X bit his lip, feeling a little guilty. He'd seen Lyn cry before, when he was spying on her, but not like this. The girl wasn't even moving; Lyn was just lying on the ground, coughing and sobbing hard. She hadn't . . . had she been in love with Kent?

"Oops," X mumbled to himself. He'd underestimated how much the stalwart cavalier had meant to Lyn; by the way she was weeping, he'd underestimated by a sizeable amount.

The assassin faded into the darkness, following an unknown route through the empty halls of the arena. Time to check on his prisoner.

----

Serra was drifting in and out of sleep, watching a rapid series of memories, thoughts, dreams and generally what was considered her life race past her eyes. Quite a lot of them featured Erk; almost half of them, in fact. The other half of them consisted of either fantasies about Serra being rewarded with enormous piles of treasure or Priscilla coming to a rather fiery and gruesome end. The cleric certainly had an imagination. Serra smiled to herself in the darkness.

"Erky," she mumbled, before drifting back into oblivion. X watched her with a half-smile on his own face, before pulling something out of an unused drawer and completing a thirteenth knot. He hitched it over his shoulder, curling an attached length of rope around his arm. After remembering to sheath his weapon, X scooped

Serra behind the neck and under the knees and lifted her into his arms.

"Wakey wakey, sleepy," he cooed, kicking open a door and ascending a flight of creaky stairs. "Time to wake up, Serra." The Etrurian priestess nuzzled into his neck.

"Erk," she mumbled again, kissing X's neck. The boy faltered in his step for a moment to give the cleric a look of incredulousness, before ascending the stairs somewhat faster than before. He'd known of Serra's love for Erk, but he'd underestimated the fact that she might've been having affectionate dreams about him.

After kicking open a second door at the top of the stairs, X walked out to a fierce breeze. He'd reached the roof of the arena. His cape ruffled and flapped behind him as he strode to a flagpole at the edge of the roof. Placing Serra on the cold stone, he pulled the flag of the arena down and tossed it aside. The cold steel finally made the cleric wake up.

"Heyyy, that's cold! Who took my blankets?" Serra whined, not opening her eyes. X exhaled through his nose.

"Just wake up, you stupid girl," he muttered, planting a foot at the base of the flagpole and pulling. Serra crawled to her hands and knees, groaning excessively. X grit his teeth, watching the flagpole bend slowly, nearing the desired angle. One more groan or whine or generally annoying comment from Serra, and she'd get hurt.

"Why's it so windy?" the cleric complained. "I'm hungry; did I miss dinner? Who're you?" X growled and turned around. Serra squinted at the confines of X's hood, before speaking.

"Hey, I know you! You're that boy in green who tried to take my jade stone! You meanie!" Serra squealed.

"What, you mean this?" X asked, pulling the stone from a pocket on the inside of his cloak.

"You're as bad as Matthew! Gimme that back!" Serra said, making a grab for it. X dropped the stone into his pocket, grabbed her wrist in both hands and quickly broke it. Serra screamed, loud and shrill, making X's eyes cross.

"My wrist! You broke it!" she shrieked. X snarled and struck Serra hard across the face, bringing the priestess to her knees. X didn't hesitate, following up with a boot to the ribs that spun Serra a full three-hundred-sixty degrees through the air and send her sprawling across the roof.

X strode towards her, much of his stress relieved- but not quite all of it. Serra screamed and wailed, clutching her side.

"I think you broke my ribs!" she bawled. X smiled at the crying cleric, lying curled on the stone in front of him. It would be so nice to kill her.

"My eyes burn . . . I can't feel my wrist!" Serra screamed. X pulled the jade stone out again, along with a small dagger.

"Before I kill you I may as well let you see something magical," X admitted. Serra squinted through teary eyes to see X cut his wrist viciously, rubbing the stone into the blood.

The stone glowed green, and a black substance flowed from X's open vein into the stone; it was misty and looked like liquid, but black liquid doesn't usually carry an aura of malice around it.

Serra promptly shrieked and fainted. X smiled, and slipped the jade stone into Serra's hood.

"Spy on that for a while," he muttered, scooping the damaged body of Serra into his arms and making his way to the flagpole.

-----

Erk beckoned Priscilla forward, hiding within the shadow cast by the rear wall of the Arena. A Brigand was yanking on the closed gates of a house, yelling and shouting various expletives and insensitivities. Erk opened a brand new Thunder tome, moving a hand slowly over it, muttering the ancient magicks within-

When a ridiculously shrill scream burst from the top of the Arena. It was so loud and insistent that it actually stopped the fighting around the entire of Badon and made a sleeping cat run into a wall.

Priscilla ran past the meowing feline with a Heal staff in her hands, and struck the Brigand three times on the back of the head, reminding Erk so forcefully of Serra that he saw Priscilla with pink hair for a moment. She was breathing hard, but the Heal staff was glowing nicely.

"What in Elimine's name was that?" she asked, referring to the scream. Erk didn't have to think about it.

"Serra. Who else in Elibe can scream loud enough to stop a battle?" he asked sarcastically. Priscilla paused, before giving a small shrug. He did have a point. The mage was already sprinting around the Arena, heading for the open portcullis that marked the entryway.

"Erk, wait! Where are you going?!" Priscilla called, riding after him. Erk skidded to a halt and stared at his employer.

"You're not serious, Lady Priscilla. We're going to save Serra!" he said. Priscilla shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you feel she really needs saving? The cleric has defended herself before," she said. Erk turned to the troubadour, his full attention on the pretty redhead.

"Do you want her dead?" he asked suddenly. Priscilla froze; she had very nearly answered with a 'yes'.

"Why do you ask this, Erk? You said yourself that I cannot handle the healing of an entire army," she said slowly. Erk frowned.

"You seem awfully against rescuing Serra," he said. Priscilla bit her lip, while the last piece clicked into place in Erk's head. He didn't like it, but it clicked.

"Lady Priscilla," he began. "I understand that you hold strong feelings for me. I understand that you know Serra has these feelings for me also. But you cannot stoop to murder!" Priscilla flinched.

"Murder is a strong word-"

"Murder is refusing to act when your companion may be dying," Erk said harshly. "I know you, Lady Priscilla; and you have changed. The kind, charming, attractive young lady I agreed to protect is no longer the person who-"

Erk was cut off as a blue ray of light swept across his eyes, and he fell into an enchanted slumber. Priscilla tucked the head of her Sleep staff back into it's pouch, as she slipped off her horse. Picking a rock up from the ground, Priscilla gritted her teeth and knocked the back of Erk's head hard enough to leave a lump.

The troubadour then sat on the ground, hugged her knees and started crying. What had she become? What kind of monster would let someone die, just to keep the man they loved to themself? Erk was right. She had changed. And all she could do was pray that Erk would still love her, despite her faults.

Priscilla stared at the 'fallen' body of her escort. She had never felt more alone.

-----

Lowen eyed the Arena board hesitantly. The standing price was almost nine hundred gold; there was obviously somebody strong in there, and somebody who'd defeated a fair few newcomers.

"General Marcus, sir, are you sure I should enter?" Marcus didn't even hesitate.

"You're allowed your horse, and your Iron lance. Along with my guidance, it's all you need, soldier!" Marcus barked. The tattooed usher raised an eyebrow.

"You gonna pay the nine hundred or not, 'soldier'?" the man said, laughing. Lowen stared at him beneath his teal mop of hair, before placing a bag of gold on the table. The usher weighed it and bit a few of the coins, satisfied.

"I'll take your horse through the stables; if you'd like, you can come with. There's a good view of the fights; I think there's one on now," he said. General Marcus nodded. Lowen bit his lip and nodded harder. General's orders, after all. The usher beckoned the two Lycians through a door, and Lowen found his horse already there, eating happily from a trough of oats.

"Hey, why's my horse already-" Marcus gave him a sharp glance and shook his head a fraction. Lowen kept his mouth shut as the arena usher led them to a worn steel grate that allowed them a ground-level view of the fight. A monster of a man, clad in traditional Warrior's armour, was trying to fend off a slim but ferocious Myrmidon. The Sacaen was proving hard to hit, dancing around and making the Warrior look like a slow and clumsy cow. The audience saw it, too, and hooted and laughed accordingly.

An arena of slack jaws quickly followed, as the Warrior moved faster than the audience thought appropriate, and cut the myrmidon in two. The Warrior almost looked bored as he walked through an open portcullis. A crew of civilians in the employ of the arena ran out and took the two halves of the loser, placing them on a stretcher and running back out of the battleground.

Marcus frowned, and Lowen swallowed hard. He would fight a Warrior for nine hundred gold. And there was nothing he could do to get out of it.

-----

Matthew slid along the brick wall, allowing himself to blend with the shadows. He was completely aware of Legault sliding along the opposite wall, and he peered at the too-thick shadow that consisted of the Hurricane. A dagger was being unsheathed. Matthew listened hard. Tap. Tap.

Two taps. Wait for his signal. Oleg was nearly at the junction, and as good a Warrior he may have been, unless he had reaction time faster than a snake he wouldn't be able to stop the attack in time. And nobody they'd met had that kind of speed, not even this assassin who was trying to kill them all. Matthew slipped his own dagger out of his sheath. Oleg was drawing nearer; if the Ostian listened, he could hear the Black Fang member's breathing. Any second now . . .

Tap.

Legault and Matthew sprang from the shadows, daggers extended and cloaks fluttering. Oleg didn't have a chance. A purple blur shot past, slicing both wristguard straps and yanking at Oleg's belt. The Warrior didn't have time to look down because something as on his back and sticking something very sharp where sharp things aren't usually stuck. Yelling, Oleg reached behind him with both arms, seized Matthew by the head and pulled him off his back. Had the crook of Matthew's dagger not been dragged through the Warrior's back and out along with Matthew, Oleg would've thrown him away. He opted to drop Matthew to the ground, and raised an unsheathed battleaxe.

Matthew would have died that moment if Legault's dagger had been pointed anywhere else on Oleg's body. Absolutely anywhere else.

Oleg froze, trying not to cry.

"Now," Legault said, the tip of his dagger starting to cut through Oleg's pants. "Put down the axe." Oleg mimed putting down the axe, before changing directions and slashing for Legault's head.

The Hurricane lived up to his name, and in a flash of purple, Oleg died with his legs crossed and his throat cut. Matthew paused, a little in awe.

" . . . Wow," he complimented. Legault tossed the Hero Crest up in the air, allowing Matthew to snatch it away.

"You can keep that. Did he hurt you much?"

"I feel like I've been breathing through a potato sack, but I'm fine."

"That's good," Legault said with a smirk. "And would you look at that? The sun's starting to rise."

Matthew turned to follow Legault's finger and saw the blood red light of a rising sun, illuminating multiple things that made time move in slow motion for the thief. The flagpole was bent at a crazy angle, pointing out from the arena. The flag was missing. Two figures were present on the roof: one in a fluttering cape, and the other was in the former's arms. There was a rope leading from the flagpole to the neck of the second figure; a second figure which was dumped onto it's feet and wobbled precariously at the edge of the arena roof.

Anyone would have recognised the twin pigtails in this light.

"_Serra_!" Matthew bellowed, starting a sprint. He knew he wouldn't get there in time, but he had to try. There was no point in giving up until she was dead.

-----

X heard the shout and saw a tuft of brown hair with red cloak running towards the arena, along with Erk and Priscilla directly beneath the flagpole. Gazing around the courtyard, he saw Hector in the blue armour, and the one-armed monk all running for the arena. Perfect. A little audience for his first execution.

Serra stared through bleary eyes at X's face, blue eyes sparkling in the light of the new day.

"Goodbye," he said.

-----

Matthew saw the gentle push. Watched the body fall, and the noose pull tight. Heard the neck break. And stopped in his tracks.

Illuminated in the crimson red light of the rising sun, Serra's body swung gently from a rope. Her head was bowed, and normally lively pigtails drooped. Every limb was limp, and Matthew swore as the image of the cleric's broken body was etched into his memory.

A Light spell fizzled through the air, striking the length of rope between Serra's neck and the flagpole; it burnt through and sent Serra's body dropping to the ground. Matthew watched the body of the girl fall, and he bit his lip to stop himself crying out. Another comrade had been claimed by that boy in green.

-----

Priscilla looked up at the rising sun, the traces of tears still lingering around her eyes. The rising sun always cheered her up. It was a new day, and doubtless someone in the army had rescued Serra by now-

Something soft and white landed on top of Priscilla and knocked the breath out of her. Gathering her wits, she looked at the lump on her lap.

Serra's eyes were closed, and the noose was pulled tight around her purpled neck. Her body was badly broken, and a length of rope trailed from her throat.

Priscilla stared at the corpse in her arms, before shrieking like a banshee and losing consciousness. It was her fault. She'd killed Serra.

-----

Hector stared at the trio of bodies; an unconscious maiden with red hair, a sleeping mage, and a murdered Serra. The Ostian gripped his Wolf Beil, staring at the carcass of his healer. X couldn't have gotten off the roof of the Arena yet, and according to a report given minutes ago, the Black Fang force was defeated and withdrawing. Which meant their only goal was to storm the Arena with every man at their disposal and put an end to the murderous assassin.

At least, that was how Hector saw it.

He wasn't aware of himself booting down the door, or shoving a tattoed man aside. He wasn't aware of the steps he threw himself up, or the fact that Lucius and Matthew were behind him step for step. He wasn't aware that he'd passed the bed that Serra had been sleeping in, or the fifth staircase he went up. He only realised where he was when he reached the rooftop, where X was standing defiantly and the remainder of the noose flicked in the wind.

Hector advanced with a look to kill. Matthew had his bloody dagger out, and Lucius trotted up the last of the steps, red-faced and sweating, with a heavy Shine tome open.

X accumulated information from the way each person stood, held their weapon, or walked, and came to a simple conclusion: they were angry, and were going to try and kill him.

"Morning," he chirped, his Keyé Li'ink sheathed across his back. "Nice sunrise, isn't it?" Hector roared, and the likeness of an enraged blue tiger with an axe wouldn't be an outrageous description. X pulled his sword out, blue eyes luminescent.

"Easy, Hector," he said carefully. "I know I just killed Serra, but-"

X skipped to the right as a ball of Light magic missed his stomach and blocked hard as Hector swung at his head. The blow knocked X off his feet and sent him rolling along the stone floor.

"Careful!" he shouted, aggravated. "You might hurt- whoa!" X pushed off as the blade of the Wolf Beil slammed into the stone near his head. X sprung to his feet and shut off his consciousness, allowing himself to fight for his survival.

Step liftleftleg stepandrotate jump block leanback twist droptoground roll getup swivel ohcrap stepstepstepstep- yow!

X yelled in pain as Hector struck his jaw with a gauntleted fist, breaking it and knocking the teenage boy off his feet for a second time. X landed sprawled across the edge, and his head landed on nothing. He'd almost been sent off the edge of the Arena!

The assassin leapt to his feet once again and quickly rehinged his jaw in front of Hector; the sight broke through Hector's battle rage and briefly ignited his 'disgust' reflex.

"Ew . . what are you?!" he shouted, before attacking again. X smirked before placing one foot on Hector's chest and performing a graceful backflip off the edge of the arena.

The Lord managed to catch a glimpse of X's jaunty wave before he was lost in a small forest, behind the wall of some rich home owner. Hector bellowed in rage, and Matthew threw his dagger at the last place X disappeared in. Nothing.

-----

Lowen led his horse out of the Arena's stables, ignoring the bits of Warrior still stuck to the metal horseshoes. Turns out a good set of steel horseshoes, combined with an angry military charger, can be as effective as a suit of armour and a lance any day. Because of this effectiveness, the cavalier was walking out of the Arena not only alive, but with a much heavier purse.

Marcus was close behind, and clapped a hand on Lowen's shoulder.

"You made a lot of mistakes in that fight, Lowen," he reprimanded. "You got lucky, very lucky." Lowen's face fell; at least, Marcus thought his face fell. If his hair hadn't his half of his face then Marcus could tell.

"But . . . you also made some very smart combat manouevres. Well done, Lowen," Marcus said. "You've made a General place more trust in you." Lowen smiled, and walked out of the Arena to a peculiar view: the entire army and the Lady Tactician had gathered around something frail, white, pink, and very broken.

" . . . Did I miss anything?" Lowen asked.

IceBlade28: Well, this ends another chapter of Person's Unknown.

Serra: I'm _dead?!!_

IceBlade28: Well, yeah. I had this perfect mental image of your broken body, hanging by a noose in the red light of the dawn, your pigtails drooping . . . it was too good to pass up. I had to write it in.

Serra: (decks IceBlade28 and starts beating mercilessly with Heal staff) I'll give you a broken body!!! (ignores his screams and keeps beating)

Matthew: Well, since Taylor's a little occupied right now, I'll give the preview of the next chapter.

Next time, on Person's Unknown: Serra and Kent are dead, and X is responsible. Lyn is devastated by the death of her acquaintance and lover. The Black Fang has withdrawn, but the Lord's and Kaira must look past their personal pain and concentrate on the growing threat of Nergal and the Black Fang. They leave Badon after the funerals, intent on seeking aid from Ostia. Serra and Kent are gone, and the dead are hard to talk to . . . right? Florina speaks with Kent, and delivers a final goodbye to Lyndis. And X gets in some serious trouble, as the spirits of those he killed confront him in the cavern of fire! Tune in next time, for Chapter XXI: My Purest Heart For You.

Matthew: (watches IceBlade28 become a horrible bloody pulp, with Serra still beating). Well, Taylor's gonna be in the hospital for a while. But reviews are always appreciated! And thanks for reading!!


	21. Chapter XXI: My Purest Heart For You

IceBlade28: Through popular demand (or slight lack thereof), Chapter XXI of Person's Unknown is here and roaring- or whimpering. Either way, it's here.

Serra: You took a heck of a long time putting it up!

IceBlade28: Shaddup. Just give the readers a summary of last chapter.

Serra: Fine.

Last chapter, X tricked Lyn into seeing Kent's headless corpse. She was crying, X felt guilty, so he skedaddled off into the Arena. He picked me up out of bed, dumped me on the rooftop and bent the flagpole to a particular angle. After beating the crud out of me and breaking my ribs, he slashed his wrist and stuck some black misty stuff into the jade stone he stole from me, before dumping it in my hood and putting a noose around my neck.

Priscilla and Erk teamed up to take out a bandit, and Erk deduced that I was on the Arena roof. Priscilla implied that she did _not_ want me rescued, because she didn't want to have to compete for Erk's love. She hit him with a Sleep staff, knocked the back of his head with a rock and sat down crying.

Lowen was conned by Marcus into competing in the Arena, and it turned out he was going to be facing a huge, axe-wielding Warrior. Sucks to be him.

Matthew and Legault teamed up to take out the Black Fang leader, Oleg. He was about a hundred-eighty pounds of axe-wielding, muscular no-nonsense tankage. Matthew got half-strangled, but he was put down in fifteen seconds. Legault's called the Hurricane for a reason. Pointing to the sunrise, Matthew saw me and X standing at the top of the Arena, and so did Lucius and Hector. X pushed me off, and the noose pulled tight. I was hung, my neck was broke, and I died. You absolutely suck, Taylor.

IceBlade28: And you put me in hospital because of it. Finish up.

Serra: Hector, Lucius and Matthew trapped X on the roof. Hector broke X's jaw, he rehinged it and escaped without a word. Down below, Priscilla had fainted because my dead body had landed in her lap, and the rest of the army had gathered around. Then the chapter ended with me mutilating Taylor.

IceBlade28: That hurt a lot- and that was a really short summary compared to your normal speeches.

Serra: It was short because I'm trying not to strangle you.

IceBlade28: o.0 Your point is understood. Let's start the fic, shall we?

Serra: (angry glare)

IceBlade28: Um . . . why aren't we rolling? Start the fic!

Serra: Screw it. (Strangles IceBlade28)

**Chapter XXI: My Purest Heart For You**

Lucius opened the arena door and stepped into the congregation surrounding Serra's body, his sky blue eyes moistening. Kaira had pushed her way to the front and already removed her cloak, covering the cleric's body with it.

"There's nothing more to be seen or done here," she said quietly. "Everyone is dismissed, except for Hector, Eliwood, Lyndis, Priscilla, and any magic users who can lend a hand." They broke away in ones and two's, with only Matthew lingering a moment before vanishing.

Nobody noticed the small shadow slip away from the army, climb over the town wall and dropped into the forest behind it.

Nils walked forward, his crimson eyes flickering. The two pieces of his ivory flute were in his bag, and he pushed past a tree until he was in deep bushland. There was something about his posture, his innocence, that had changed as he walked into the forest. Nils didn't look like a child anymore.

"I thought we had a deal," he remarked to the night air.

"We did," said the tree on his left. Nils turned to face the source. The assassin was particularly tricky; Nils had thought the assassin was the bush on his right.

"You're a little better than I thought," Nils said, careful not to inflate the assassin's ego any more. The mystery man walked out from behind the tree.

"I aim to please. And to kill, come to think of it," X said, chuckling at his own joke. Nils didn't laugh. He'd seen what X could do when he let all self-disciplined barriers crash down. He could rival the Grim Reaper himself in bloody kills.

"You're making mistakes. I've started to doubt you," Nils said calmly. X frowned. He didn't like Nils' tone. This assassin wasn't going to be ordered around by some ice dragon brat.

"There was no need to kill Kent, no need at all. You're a loose cannon," Nils rebuked, crimson eyes stern and unmoving. "I made the details of our little 'contract' very clear." X had had enough, and slowly unsheathed a dagger inside his sleeve.

"Yes, you did. You made the details of your little idea more than clear. And I'm breaking them. They didn't suit my purposes, so I'm ignoring your deal and making a new one," X said calmly, twiddling a dagger between his fingers and somehow managing not to lose a digit. Nils couldn't believe his ears.

"Ho-Hold on a second. You can't- we had an agreement!" Nils stammered, before internally cussing. He'd stammered. He'd shown weakness. The assassin would walk over him unless he could regain ground. Worse, X knew it, and he smiled wickedly to let Nils know he knew.

"There's one big, stupid mistake, boy. You don't trust a mistake, especially not an assassin," X said wickedly, enjoying his own pun.

"This isn't over," Nils said, trying to sound tough. X laughed.

"You're completely right. It isn't over. I will do anything and everything necessary to ensure my various secrets stay that way. Including killing you and your sister, if I have to," X said coldly. For the first time in X's memory, unfiltered anger was obvious in Nils' eyes.

"Are you threatening a thousand year old ice dragon?" he said quietly. X smiled.

"Yes. Yes I am," he replied. "After all, we both know you can't use your powers in this world." The assassin flicked the knife around his fingers, and before Nils could blink it was stuck through his scarf, with the tip of the dagger tickling his throat.

In the time it took to take the blade out and throw it back, X had vanished.

"Sister, forgive me," Nils whispered hopelessly. "I only wanted to protect you . . ."

-----

Kaira stared at Serra's body, lying limp on the cold stone table Priscilla had requested. They were in an infirmary that a local citizen had kindly relinquished, and allowed the army to receive medical supplies and perform the autopsy free of charge. Kaira had thanked the doctor multiple times and ordered that the autopsy be commenced immediately. Serra's body was lying on the table, her eyes blank and staring.

"So, Priscilla, what can you deduce?" Kaira said. Priscilla stared at Serra, hiding her feelings.

"Well, she was obviously hanged, as you can see by the markings around the neck. However, hanging rarely involves breaking four ribs and a wrist in the process," Priscilla said, studying the body before her.

"She was beaten?" Kaira said.

"Quite badly," Priscilla agreed. "The swelling around her wrist, as well as the jagged angle, tells us that her wrist was snapped rather than dislocated, and it looks like someone kicked her in the ribs, probably sending her airborne. There's no sign of continued abuse, however, so perhaps Serra fought her captor and was forced to be subdued." Kaira nodded, digesting each fact.

"Looks like she's definitely dead," Kaira said heavily. Priscilla bit her lip.

"Actually, Lady Tactician . . . Serra is still alive."

". . . . She's what?"

"Serra is alive; that is to say, we will be able to keep her alive if we act soon. If I am lucky, with help I might be able to restore some of the lower brain functions, but it's a gamble I would not like to take. At best, Serra will be a vegetable," Priscilla explained. She'd stopped Erk from saving the cleric, for the selfish reason of her own love. Telling this truth could hopefully make it up to herself, at least in some small part. Kaira nodded.

"Do it," she ordered. Priscilla blinked.

"Pardon, Lady Kaira?"

"Do it. If she can survive, we need her. It would boost the morale of the entire army; especially Erk, and he's one of our few offensive magic users. I am ordering you to heal this cleric to the very best of your ability, and not to hold anything back," Kaira said firmly. Priscilla nodded, rolling open her bag of healing paraphernalia and selecting multiple complicated items and thingamiebobs.

"If Serra's life is to be preserved, I will require the magical aid of every person in the camp, and the presence of my Lor-" Priscilla stopped herself. Kaira's ears pricked.

"Of- of the mercenary whose name is Raven," she said slowly, remembering her brother's alias. Kaira nodded, sweeping out of the room and away to her quarters. Priscilla looked at Serra's body in sorrow.

"Serra," she said quietly. "I am unsure if you can hear my voice, but I would say this to you. I . . . I am in love with Erk. He means the world to me, perhaps more than even my Lord Brother. But if such a love will taint my soul with the darkest cruelty, that I would allow such a kind and honourable comrade as you to die that I might satisfy the selfish desires of my heart . . . I do not want it."

Serra's finger twitched, and she blinked. Priscilla felt a surge of adrenaline; Serra had displayed brain activity. Mobility. The Ostian was alive!

"I will not let you die; and should I succeed in my endeavours, I leave my heart behind. You may be the one to be the object of Erk's love. I surrender," Priscilla whispered, and unsheathed her Mend staff from her bag as she heard the door open.

To her heart's consternation, the very mage she longed for walked into the infirmary. Erk's face was deliberately hard, and he stood to attention in the centre of the room.

"You requested me- what would you have me do? I do not use healing magic," he said stiffly. Priscilla didn't miss a beat.

"That is true. You do not. But you are a powerful user of offensive magic, and through a procedure of reversal of technique and magical flow, such power can be used as a lightning rod for healing magic," Priscilla recited, remembering such a definition from when Count Caerlon had taught her. "This is why I have also requested the presence of Lucius the monk and Canas the shaman, as we need as much magical power as we can get."

Erk nodded slowly, recalling his own teacher mentioning such a scenario in which magic could be reversed or transferred from one person to another.

"In short, Serra will die in a matter of minutes and if an almost absurd amount of healing power is not used, Serra will die. Even if it is a complete success, she may never achieve consciousness," Priscilla said quietly. Erk nodded, and was soon greeted by the sound of thumping feet and the remaining three members bursting through the door.

"Wonderful timing," the troubadour said. "Please, Lucius and Canas, may you place your hands on Erk's, and Erk, may you hold onto my own." Confused, the two magic users held the mage's hand, and Erk himself held Priscilla's hand delicately, as though it were a flower petal.

They had formed a human chain, in essence, and Priscilla's Mend staff was resting on Serra's neck.

"Erk, please begin the transferral," she said. Erk shut his eyes and vagued out, allowing his own magic to flow out his hand and up Priscilla's arm, and he soon felt empty and drained. The feeling did not last long, however, as soon a mixture of Lucius' and Canas' own power surged into him. Strangely enough, he felt like Lucius and Canas were sharing his own body; he could sense some of their own emotions and ideas. In a way, they were sharing Erk's body, and the mage had to work hard not to vomit. The feeling was making him ill.

Priscilla felt the sheer 'oomph' of magic charge up her arm and into her body, and the maiden felt giddy and invincible. _This power is mine to use_, she thought. _And I use it that I may save the life of someone I dislike._

Priscilla's eyes actually crackled with the amount of magic power she was harnessing, and she raised her Mend staff high. Raven was leaning against the wall of the infirmary, having arrived late. He was watching the proceedings carefully, and he felt dread at the power that his beautiful sister was channelling. There was something wrong, something bad about this, and Raven could feel it. He could not do anything but meet his sister's eyes, and he did so, watching her watch him. Priscilla's innocent green eyes were blazing brightly, actually illuminating her face. She seemed triumphant, until she caught the worry behind Raven's own eyes. The magical power illuminating her iris' dimmed a moment, and Raven stood up to do something about it. Not that he could have if he tried, as the light from the Mend staff was reaching the brilliance of causing retinal scarring-

When a horrible shattering sound occurred, followed by the sound of a small explosion. Priscilla and the three magic users were flung backwards, and the explosion of magical force blew out the windows and flung Serra's already broken body up to the ceiling and back to the floor. Raven managed to catch his sister in his arms, but was barraged by a clump of bodies that soon buried him.

"What happened?" Lucius asked groggily, unearthing himself from under Canas.

"I'm not sure, but I think Priscilla's body rejected the pure magical power that was being pushed into her body," Erk said, muffled under Canas. The cheery shaman was unconscious. "The question is, why was she storing the magical power instead of channelling it into the Mend staff? Such an action can cause serious damage to the person's mentality- there have been reports of mages dying because of it."

"And so much trouble gained us nothing," Lucius said softly, staring at the Mend staff. The enchanted jewel had completely shattered, and Lucius could make out shards of sapphire stuck in walls or bookshelves around the room. Serra's body was still crumpled on the floor, and Erk ran and kneeled beside it.

"The marks around her neck are gone," he said in wonder. "And her wrist looks normal." Lucius was gladdened for a moment.

"Then it was a success?" he asked, daring to dream.

"Serra," Erk said loudly, snapping his fingers. "Serra, open your eyes. Can you hear me. Serra." There was, almost predicably, no response.

"It won't work," said a male voice from the opposite wall. Erk looked up to see X standing by the blown-out windows, leaning against the wall, arms crossed comfortably.

"You!" Erk said, moving his hands to conjure an offensive spell; Canas was right behind him. To both their surprises, nothing happened. And X obviously knew why.

"You blew both your magic supplies on healing Serra. Her physical injuries are healed, but she won't achieve consciousness unless something is done. Death's finger is still on her," X explained. Erk seethed.

"What needs to be done?" he asked.

"Get me an Elixir, and drop every charge against me. I'm well aware of the manhunt Kaira's put out for me. I want every murder charge, every accusation of theft, all of it dropped. Or I won't heal Serra," X said simply.

"I'm sorry, good chap, but that's not going to happen," Canas said. X shrugged.

"Then there's no point in my being here." The assassin turned to leave, not only placing a foot on the window frame but hiding a cocky smirk. In three, two, one-

"What can you do that we can't?" Erk said finally. X grinned.

"It's not what I can do, it's what I don't have," he said cryptically.

"Which is?"

"A mind bound by the parametres of perfection," X said. "Plus a few tricks you pick up over the years."

"We'll talk to Lady Kaira on your behalf, but no guarantees," Erk said. X nodded.

"That's fine by me. And Raven, kindly step out from behind the bookcase and drop the four knives you're carrying," X said, before pulling the bookcase aside and exposing Raven to the dim light. The mercenary scowled and tossed the four knives onto the ground as X lifted Serra back onto the concrete table with exaggerated care.

"Actually, pass me one of those knives," X said, staring at Serra. Raven smirked, and threw the knife hard- X didn't move, and it stuck deep into his shoulder. The boy grunted, stooping over, before reaching with the other hand and pulling it slowly out of his body. He wiped it clean on his cloak, ignoring the growing wetness of blood running down his back.

"Maybe getting rid of you was a bad idea," he mumbled, poking a small hole in his palm and opening a smaller wound in Serra's carotid artery. (a/n: The place where you find the pulse just under your cheek bone. Try it some time.)

Placing his palm to the open wound, he shuddered as the black mist was pulled from the cleric's body and back into his own.

"Easy now," he murmured, forcing back rising feelings of sickness. Soon the mist was back into his own body, and he sipped the Elixir handed to him by Canas to close up the hole in his palm, and dripped a little to close up the hole in Serra's neck.

"She'll wake up in five minutes," X said simply, bowing low. "Lady Priscilla, my fondest regards." He turned abruptly and leaped out the shattered windows, quickly vanished by the night. At the mention of her name, Priscilla opened her eyes and stared dazedly around the room.

"I . . . where am I?" she asked. "Why did that boy call me Lady Priscilla?" Raven turned abruptly to his sister.

"Priscilla- are you feeling alright?" he said, with Erk at his side. Priscilla blinked slowly, looking down.

"I-I can't remember who I am," she said quietly. "Is this normal?" Erk and Raven shared a look.

"You can't remember who you are?" Erk said, worried. "What about your age? Where you were born? Any siblings? If you're in love with anyone?" That last one made Raven turn to Erk with a dark and questioning look.

"Strong emotions like love and matters of the heart are often recalled even when one's own memory is compromised," Erk explained quietly. Raven nodded slowly, not quite understanding but willing to rely on the mage's magical expertise.

"I am sorry, but there is nothing I can remember at all," Priscilla said sadly. Erk bit his lip, the uneasiness plain to read. Priscilla ran her eyes over her arms, her legs, her torso and frame, familiarising herself with the body that was apparently hers.

"Is my behind really this large?" she said curiously. "It feels an awful lot bigger than I think I should remember." The male occupants of the room embarrassingly silent, though Erk noticed that Priscilla's derriere was indeed particularly sizeable. He made sure not to say it, however, since the look of mortification on Raven's face told him that saying such a thing would have him separated from his innards.

-----

Rebecca tossed and turned restlessly on her bed, brushing a strand of green hair out of her eyes and staring at the roof of her room. She was doing her best to drift away to sleep, but the adrenaline from the battle kept her heart pounding and the image of Serra's broken neck did a better job of keeping sleep away than the adrenaline. At least the possibility of peaceful dreams.

Besides, the sun was starting to rise- it was about four o'clock in the morning and she was wide awake. Tactician Kaira would probably let them sleep in, but what good was extended time if you couldn't use it? Finally Rebecca tossed the covers back, slipped on a small skirt and shirt and a pair of long, soft boots over her feet and exited her cabin, heading for the town wall overlooking the sea.

To her surprise, she wasn't the only one there.

"Fairest Rebecca," Sain said half-heartedly. The Green Lance was sitting on the wall, watching the sun rise slowly over the water. The view was picturesque at worst, but neither lad nor lady appreciated the beauty on display for them.

"Sain," Rebecca regarded, climbing onto the wall and sitting near him. She didn't look at him, nor he at her bare legs or any part of her.

"Couldn't sleep?" Sain asked, staring at the water.

"Not a wink."

"Thinking about Serra?"

"Trying not to. You?"

"Can't get her out of my head."

"Already mourning so many missed flirty comments?" Rebecca said scathingly; though her remark was a little meaner than intended, she didn't want the cavalier to think he was anything special in her books. Sain stayed silent for a moment.

". . . Missing a friend and a cheerful, funny comrade who somehow always lifted us up when we were down," Sain said quietly. "And . . . well, and then there's Kent." Rebecca was the first to break the don't-look-at-the-other-person rule first, and shifted awkwardly to stare the cavalier in the face. He refused to meet her look.

"He was like my brother," Sain said, trying to hide his voice cracking. "We went through the army together when we were younger. Him and me, all the way . . . we were the ones who found Lady Lyn and the Tactician Kaira, back in Bulgar those years ago. It was always the two of us- we were buddies, you know?" Rebecca already felt tears of sympathy creep forward, even though she didn't even know the knight.

"But he was such a pain in the neck!" Sain complained. "Always bossing me around, telling me to leave the women alone, straighten up, swing that sword harder, thrust properly with the lance, and everything! He was so uptight!" Rebecca was taken aback for a moment while Sain turned his back to Rebecca.

It was only a few seconds before Sain's shoulders began to shake and stifled tears began to sound.

Sain was crying.

Rebecca watched the weeping cavalier, unsure of how to react. It wasn't the first time she'd felt this way. After all, weren't men the ones who were supposed to be the comforters? But seeing Sain torn down so badly like this was almost reassuring for Rebecca. This was the kind of man she wanted in her life. Raven was cute, sure, and he had his nice moments and he _seemed_ like a gentleman, but he just didn't show his feelings. Sain wore his heart on his sleeve, and Rebecca realised she appreciated that.

She scooched closer to Sain, shivered once as the cold stone touched the high underside of her thigh, and she held the cavalier in a tight embrace, nestling her chin on his shoulder. Sain kept crying, but his countenance seemed questioning.

"You've still got me," Rebecca whispered. "And I'm not going anywhere." She gave him a gentle kiss on his salty cheek and slipped off the wall. Once she landed, she fixed her short skirt and walked quietly off. She felt like she could sleep now.

-----

Lyn refused to go to the funeral scheduled at dawn, simply because she knew the emotional pain would be too great. She was in love with Kent, and the boy who was almost as close to her heart for a reason she knew but did not know had killed Kent.

It was also for this reason that she knew she had to go. If this assassin boy was consistent in any way, he'd be at Kent's funeral, just to seal the deal on Lyndis' emotional damage.

It was there that she would confront him. There was no choice left; X had crossed a serious line. The assassin would be spoken to; interrogated, rather. And then, if he was still alive, Lyndis would kill him. She would kill him in front of the entire army, and release herself from the phantom memories that haunted her.

"Lyn?" Said a quivery voice by her door. The Sacaen princess turned to see Florina standing close to the door, trying to smile. Lyn wiped her eyes to push away the tears and smiled at her shy Ilian friend.

"Florina, it's nice to see you. Please, sit down," she said, patting a spot on the bed close to her. Florina nodded, sitting on the bed and scooting close to her long-time friend until they were close. The Ilian opened her mouth to say something, but instead let out a sob and buried her face in Lyn's hair. Lyn patted Florina on the back and held her close, feeling hated tears trickle down her own face.

"I know, Florina," she choked. It was hard enough shouldering her burdens, but nearly impossible to push her own heartache away to comfort someone else. I guess that's what it means to be a strong person.

"After so much, he's taken . . . it's n-n-not fair," Florina cried. Lyn let out a choking sound before nodding. There weren't any more words that needed to be said. Just grief that needed to be satisfied. The two girls held each other tight and cried, letting the rage and frustration and sorrow out. The sobs faded to whimpering, and finally to a quiet hollowness. Lyn was hyperventilating, and hating the way her larger chest bounced and jiggled as she gasped for air.

"L-L-L-Lyn," Florina mumbled. "I see X a lot . . . i-in my dreams." Lyn bent slightly to look Florina in the eyes. The Ilian was looking away, and allowing her lavender hair to hide her gaze.

"Your premonitions?" Lyn said quietly. Florina nodded.

"A-And everyone else. Everyone that's died so far . . . I saw Kaira, once, and Dorcas and Guy and Wil and a girl with pink hair . . . I-I-I'm afraid I'm going to see Kent," Florina stammered. Lyn froze. Florina could see Kent?

"I don't w-want to see h-him . . . I don't think I could take it," Florina mumbled. "Sometimes, in m-my dreams, my ch-chest starts to hurt, and I'm scared . . . I'm scared to go to sleep," she wailed. Lyn nodded, holding her Ilian companion close. She'd always believed that everything happened for a reason, but she couldn't see the faintest bit of logic in this.

"Florina, I know I shouldn't ask this of you," Lyn said slowly. Every thought about what she was about to say told her it was a foolish, selfish notion. But she loved Kent. And he loved her back; he'd confessed to her, on that foggy day in the Dread Isle, placing in jeopardy his own feelings and his knightship. Lyndis had to speak to him.

"Please, do this thing for me," Lyn said, trying to look Florina in the eye. "I want you to go to sleep. Meet . . . meet with Kent in your premonition. Tell him-" Lyn choked on the words. "Tell him I- I still love him, and I won't stop. Tell him I'll wait for him, and I'll see him again, and . . . a-and tell him I'm sorry," she stammered. Florina stayed silent and let the tears run down her face.

Finally, she shook her head.

"I-I-I can't do it, Lyn," she whispered. "I th-think I nearly died . . . the dreams o-of mine, they hurt me . . . I've alm-most died once. I don't want to die. I don'-don't want to be alone," Florina wept. Lyn felt her heart sink.

"Florina, please . . ." she pleaded. "It's . . . It's Kent. I love him." Florina shook hard, fighting an internal battle.

"N-No," she said, and Lyn had to strain to hear her. But when she did hear it, it cut her almost as deep as Kent's death. Florina sensed the pain she had caused Lyn and fled the cabin crying, running for the area her sister Fiora was sleeping in.

Lyn shut her cabin door quietly and fell upon her bed, sobbing hard. Florina was the one link she had to her dead lover, and she wouldn't do this for her. After everything Lyn had done to protect Florina! What was worse was the little calm voice in the back of her mind telling her that these feelings of anger and hostility had no place in a beautiful woman like her. It was her mind's image of Kent.

Lyn cried harder and scratched away the tears, enjoying the pain of fingernails against flesh. It helped dull the pain of Kent's passing, at least a little.

The air sang as her Mani Katti was pulled from it's sheath. Lyn squeezed the handle tight as she let out a cry of anger and cut deep into the wooden wall of her room. It hacked out a piece of oak. Lyn ripped the blade from the wall and repeated her action, watching the blade bite deep into the beautiful wood. Out. Chop. Out. Chop. Out. Chop, out, chop, out, chop out chop out chop out chopoutchopoutchopoutchopout-

Lyn screamed as she threw her blade to the floor and beat the mangled mess of wood with her fists, uncaring as splinters drove deep into her fists. Sliding to the floor, Lyn lay there and wept, though her eyes stung and had run dry of tears. Why Kent? Why _her_ loved one? Why her knight, the one who had confessed to loving her in return?

Worst of all, why X?! Why was her familiar enigma his killer? X had _saved_ Kent on the Dread Isle- he'd taken a killing blow for him. Why kill him now? Why kill him at all?!

Lyn curled into a protective ball on the ground and slowly cried herself to sleep.

-----

Guy slashed at the cool morning air, watching his breath fog in front of him. Mentally he was rehearsing his manoeuvres, and you could tell as you watched him move slowly through the space in front. _And one, two three, lunge jump slash followthroughtwirl,_ he thought, executing a rather nice trick of swordplay. He landed perfectly too, sinking to one knee to block a downwards chop from his invisible opponent.

Silently complimenting himself on this little display, Guy got to his feet and wiped the dirt from his leg as he faced his invisible opponent again. Time for one of the more brutal displays he'd been practicing. He did a couple of feints, before spinning towards the target, grabbing the invisble opponent's sword hand and slashing brutally. With a quick leap away, he swept his hand back and flung the sword in one fluid motion. With a look of glee, it passed straight through his imaginary foe's head.

And it took a few lavender locks off Florina's head as she ran by, narrowly avoiding killing her.

Guy's eyes widened and he ran towards Florina, who was standing still and shaking like a leaf on a tree branch.

"Florina! Gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't even know you were there!" Guy babbled. "Are you okay?" Florina was still shaking tightly, and having a little conversation with her conscience. It went something along the lines of:

Faint now. Right now.

_But it's Guy. Guy's charming, and sweet, and nice to me._

You were nearly killed. Again. And you haven't slept for thirty-six hours.

_Good point. Fainting works well, then._

Florina fainted. Guy panicked and kneeled by her side, rubbing his hands over the grass to collect dew and splashing the cold water on her face. He told her to wake up, and panicked a little longer before he checked her pulse. She was fine- a strong beat told him she was sleeping soundly. Guy smiled at the petite Pegasus Knight asleep in his arms, before shifting her to a more comfortable position and moving until he could sit down and lean against a tree. She was remarkably light, and smelt like strawberries. Guy smiled gently at the slumbering Ilian before sitting down against the tree and starting to doze off himself.

-----

Florina wiped a hand over her forehead and removed an imaginary layer of sweat. Still, sweat was the least of her worries. She was back in the firey caverns of the volcano, in the dream world. This was one of her premonitional states; who cared if she was a little hot?

"Good to see you again!" chirped a voice behind Florina. The Ilian spun to face someone familiar, but as unwelcome as you can generally get without attempted strangling.

"Are you alright? I know your journey's here tend to be a bit bumpy," X said, the concern clear in his voice. Florina scarcely noticed the grey jacket and pants he was wearing before slapping him hard across the face and scuttling backward from fear of her own anger. X rubbed his cheek, dissipating the pain.

"Hello to you too," he grumbled.

"St-st-st-stay back," Florina stammered, barely able to enunciate anything. Remembering the Slim lance in her hand, she held it in front of her to protect her from the evil scary assassin boy, but the point was shaking more than she was. X smiled endearingly.

"You don't have to worry, Florina. I won't hurt you. Not here, at least."

"L-Liar. You said that before!" Florina said firmly. A good act, despite the obvious discrepancies between speech and body language. X thought about replying in the negative before remembering that he had indeed said that before. And he _had_ lied.

"Oh, right. I forgot," X said lamely. "But the whole thing with the shadows, and pushing you into the pit of fire- I did it to protect you, not hurt you." Florina managed a shaky laugh.

"Oh, right," she said sarcastically. X briefly pinched the bridge of his nose before turning the full charm of his deep blue eyes on the pretty maiden.

"Can you trust me?" he asked quietly, being deliberate to sound humble. Florina lost herself in a moment in the shining, sapphire-blue orbs of X's gaze. Fortunately for her and most unfortunately for him, they were interrupted by a party of angry spirits.

"You!" Kent bellowed, charging across the acrid soil. X stared at the enraged knight before unsheathing his Keyé Li'ink. Seeing the nasty-looking sword made Kent stop in his tracks, but did nothing to dispel his anger.

"You saved my life on the Dread Isle and then you behead me?!" he demanded. "What's your agenda? Why are you so fascinated with Lady Lyndis!" he yelled. Florina couldn't stop staring at the spirit of the chivalrous redhead, and gasped as the souls of those she had contacted before joined Kent.

"You can calm down, Kent," Dorcas said quietly, placing a ghostly hand on Kent's arm. "The assassin boy visits frequently- he is not an evil person. Were it not for his efforts, in fact, Leila here would have died much sooner." Kent faced the pink-haired spy, who nodded and winked once at X. X smirked in reply as Wil joined the trio, and the quartet of departed friends stood before Florina and the assassin.

"X cut my head off after I saved his life," Kent said quietly, and his spirit visibly seethed. "And he hung Serra from the battlements of the Arena." With that remark, the tides of compassion reversed. It's funny how one sentance like that can completely change someone's disposition towards you. X took a defensive stance with his Keyé Li'ink as the angry people advanced on him. Even Leila had sided with the angered souls, and X was the one who'd nearly saved her. The boy took in multiple angles, trying to think a way out of this conundrum. The one recurring thought he had was along the lines of 'Well, this sucks'. All he needed to make this scenario worse was his father's interference.

And if you go and throw a bone like that in front of Lady Luck, she's gonna bite on and rip you for everything you've got. As soon as that thought crossed X's mind, a tall black shadow gleaned into existence to the right of the party. It was followed by a second, and a third, and more continued to appear and drift towards X.

"Mistake," they hissed, gliding above the barren dirt of the floor. "Destroy . . ." The party of deceased people turned to the new threat. Leila sweatdropped.

"Mind telling us what those are?" she asked, feeling very vulnerable. X stared at the shadows with hate.

"Father," he said, striding to the front of the group and scowling at the shadows. They glided forward and stopped just in front of him; the front-most shadow flickered.

"No," X said firmly. "I'm not coming back!" The shadow reached slowly out with a shadowy limb and attempted to grab X's arm; X scowled and cut the shadow's own limb away from it's body.

Florina and the rest had to cower from a piercing shriek that eminated from the creature. X somehow didn't bat an eyelid and set about destroying the source of the sound. Kent cursed.

"What are they?!" he yelled. X growled and hacked the next two apart, their spirits vanishing in bursts of dark energy. One thing was clear to the souls of the dead: X had a serious grudge. Florina ran forward with her Slim lance, intent on helping the boy.

"Stay back!" X shouted, cutting a fourth spirit apart and ducking a scything arm from another. "You can't do anything!" Florina stood still.

"Then how do I get out of here?!" she yelled, her eyes wide. If X was hurt or killed by whatever these things were, then she could be stuck here. Which would mean the only way out of this premonitional state would be jumping into the molten fire herself; last time she did that, a heck of a lot of crazy stuff had happened to her. So it was best that she helped X, at least a little.

With a yell, she held her lance like a javelin and hurled it at a creature that had broken away from the self-made barrier consisting of a green-cloaked assassin and was creeping towards them. The shaft punched through the creature effortlessly and the creature reared back before vanishing.

"_No!_" X bellowed before breaking away from the group. He ran over to Florina, who cowered at his approach. "What have you done?!"

"Get away from her!" Kent yelled angrily, shoving the assassin off balance. X stared at Kent with a peculiar emotion in his eyes; upon reflection, Kent would discover that it was pity. X was feeling pity for Kent.

"Florina has a message for you, Kent," X said quietly, before taking a single step backwards. The Crimson Shield stared in shock as the youth fell gracefully away into a pool of fire, where he was incinerated on contact. Kent checked on the shadow creatures: they were wandering aimlessly, and some of them were starting to fade into oblivion, exactly as they had arrived. Now that they were out of danger, Kent turned his attention to the shaking Pegasus Knight; the rest of the group of dead people had stayed back, realising that this message was for Kent's ears alone. He'd left a lover behind- he deserved a little privacy, at least.

"I-It's from Lyn," Florina sniffed, already starting to cry. Kent felt a hole open inside him, but he listened intently.

"You can tell me. There's no danger, everything's fine," Kent said quietly. Florina nodded, but the tears still poured down her face.

"Lyn s-says that sh-she still loves you, and she says she w-won't ever stop. She'll wait for y-you, and she kn-knows she'll see you again . . ." Florina said, until she choked and started crying. Kent was fighting back tears of his own; Lyndis was so much to him. He loved her, he'd placed her over his knightship.

"And she says she's sorry," Florina whispered, hiding her face in her hands. Kent nodded, standing up.

"Tell her I love her," he said, before turning away from Florina and walking away. Florina curled into a ball on the soil and cried into her hands, wanting everything to be over.

-----

Legault crouched on the walltop, catlike, peering around him before he slipped down behind the brickwork. Breaking into the estate wasn't hard, and if his information source was right, his prize should be to the northeast.

The Hurricane bounded into the brush, identifying everything and being nothing. Turn past the tree, slip under the branch, climb up here, twist around and perch. _Pefect. There he is,_ Legault thought.

This is how a former member of the Black Fang found the youthful assassin that had been murdering the camp's soldiers. Legault unsheathed his dagger- he'd had about fifteen years of knife throwing, and the target's head was clear and obvious. There was no way he could miss-

"Looking for me?" X said, sliding a dagger across Legault's throat and yanking the Hurricane's own weapon out of his hands. One thought crossed the thief's mind.

_Crap._

IceBlade28: Well, there's another chapter done. Hope you all liked it.

Serra: If it turns out I still die, I'm going to put you in hospital again.

IceBlade28: (gulp) Why not tell the nice readers about the next chapter?

Serra: We're trying out a new format of preview this time: tell us what you think in your reviews! Next time, on Person's Unknown . . .

---

"You don't remember anything?" Raven asked. "Your name, your skills, your parents- nothing?" Priscilla shook her head.

"I appreciate your concern, dear sir, but I cannot remember a thing."

---

Sain stood to proud attention as he watched Kent's casket float gently out to sea. This was the end for them, and no amount of words could change that. He was his own man from here on.

"You're doing great," Rebecca said quietly, and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. Sain tried to smile. At least someone was rooting for him.

---

Legault froze, hiding his feelings with years of expertise.

"Glad I found you." X scowled. "What do you want?"

"A purchase." The boy's curiousity was piqued, but he kept it to himself; the mark of a good assassin was the ability to keep oneself in check.

"What do you have to buy with?"

"Information." X was intrigued, but kept his dagger tight against the Hurricane's throat.

"Information about what?"

"Information about who's standing behind you."

---

Kaira sat up suddenly and nearly knocked herself out on the beams of the bottom bunk. Mentally she cursed herself for being so stupid. Why hadn't she seen it before?! X's involement, his own agenda- _his own agenda_! X was the key!

"Nergal!" she cried, launching herself off the bottom bed and dashing for the meeting room.

"The boy is working for Nergal!"

---

Serra: Tune in next time for Chapter XXII: Grieve, For Your Innocence Is Lost.

IceBlade28: Drop a review on your way out; feedback always appreciated!


	22. Chapter XXII: Grieve, For Your Innocence

IceBlade28: I didn't get quite as many reviews for Chapter XXI as I hoped I would, but here's the next chapter nonetheless. I think I keep this fic going not only for the readers, but for my own self-preservation. (And a note ahead of time: Sorry if my voice is a little raspy. Serra attempted to strangle me at the beginning of the last chapter.)

Serra: I won't lie, even though the truth is so unbecoming of a lady of my stature: I loved it. As for 'self-preservation', do you have any idea what I'd do to you if you did quit this fic?!

IceBlade28: I don't like to think about it. You wanna do the summary of the previous chapter?

Serra: Oh please. You have no chance of performing such a duty with the same flair and mastery as I possess in every graceful motion.

IceBlade28: (gag)

Serra: I'll pretend I never heard that.

Previously, on Person's Unknown:

During the grieving over _my_ dead body, Nils slipped aside and hopped over an estate wall. After walking through thick foliage, he met with the secret man he'd been looking for: X. Nils had a contract with the assassin in regards to protecting his sister, and X was breaking the rules. He'd become a loose cannon by killing Kent, and Nils was starting to feel pressured. Long story short, X had betrayed Nils and was making his own deal. Worse yet, the assassin was quite happy to kill everyone and anyone necessary.

Next came the best bit of the story, because it's all about me!

IceBlade28: This is why I'll be telling this part.

Serra: What?! How rude!

IceBlade28: Face it Serra. If I let you tell this part, it'd take up about three pages before we even got to the important area!

Serra: How ungentlemanly.

IceBlade28: I may just have you fired as my muse for that remark.

Serra: (swallows).

IceBlade28: Better. Now, as I was saying-

Serra: Windbag. (runs).

IceBlade28: You little- (chases).

X: I may as well take over here, then.

As Serra said, the next part is all about her. After Kaira and Priscilla commenced the autopsy and discovered that I had beaten the snot out of her before I hung her, they found that the irritable cleric was still clinging to life.

Serra: I am not irritable!

X: Shut up, irritable cleric. Priscilla was unwilling to act, since the best she could possibly do was return Serra to a vegetable-like state, and it was a fool's hope that she would ever do more than drool and stare vacantly. Kaira was not about to hear it, however, and she ordered the troubadour Priscilla to do anything in her power to restore Serra to the best possible condition. Priscilla requested the aid of Erk, Canas and Lucius, and Raven simply to give her moral support. She decided to use the skill of transferring a person's magic into another person, and had called every magic user in the camp to charge her like a battery.

Serra: What's a battery?

X: Um- never mind. Basically, Priscilla supercharged herself with four people's magic, but her body and mind weren't strong enough to handle the stress, and the magic ejected itself through the Mend staff. That's what Priscilla had intended to do, but the healing power was also too great for the staff, which shattered like a cheap vase. Serra's already beaten body was flung to the ceiling and back, and the occupants of the room were blown aside. After unearthing themselves from each other, Erk found that Priscilla had been storing the magic inside herself instead of channelling it to the staff. This is dangerous in the extreme, because it can cause permanent mental damage and even death. They thought the process had been a failure, but Serra's body no longer had any marks or bruises on it. Erk and co. were attempting to resuscitate her when your's truly entered the scene. In exchange for fixing Serra, I demanded that all charges against me be dropped. Raven stabbed me in the shoulder, which I ignored, being in a charitable mood. I took the black mist back from Serra's body and reinstated it into my own. At this point, I gave my regards to the recently conscious Priscilla and skedaddled. Priscilla was okay, but any and every memory of who she was and what she knew had been erased. She didn't even know her own body, as she made a rather un-lady-like comment about the size of her behind.

After this, Rebecca was having trouble sleeping, so she got dressed and went for a walk along the walls of Badon, by the seashore. Surprisingly, Sain was also there, and the two had a heartfelt chat about the recent deaths and their thoughts, and even a little bit of romance between the two of them. Rebecca kissed Sain, and the two of them parted.

Lyn was in her room, still in shock from Kent's death and puzzling out the mystery that consists of my good self. Florina came to see her, and the two girls cried when thinking about Kent's death and how unfair it all was. They enjoyed getting the bad feeling and emotions out until Florina mentioned that she could see me in her premonitions, along with everyone that was deceased from their army. Lyn immediately made the connection: Florina could see Kent. Florina could tell him goodbye from her. Florina could give messages to him! Lyn knew it was selfish of her, she knew the premonitions could cause Florina physical harm, but she had to ask it. Lyn asked Florina to take a message to Kent, and to tell him of her love. Florina said no. Upon seeing how this hurt Lyn, Florina broke back into tears and ran out of the cabin. Lyn unsheathed the Mani Katti and took out her rage and frustration on the cabin wall, hacking the wood into a splintered mess and beating it with her fists, eventually sinking to the floor and crying herself to sleep.

Guy was sparring against the cold morning air and threw his sword randomly, and bad timing made sure that it nearly took Florina's head off. Despite his frantic apologies, Florina fainted, and Guy picked her up and sat her in his lap, beneath a tree. Happy Guy/Florina fluff.

Serra: X, you can take a break now. Taylor's back!

IceBlade28: I said don't call me that! (spear-tackles Serra). Now, where was I?

Florina was in the fiery caverns again, where her premonitions take place. She was shocked and angered to find her enemy X there, despite his peaceful appearance and changed clothing. She slapped him and scuttled away- go Florina! X whinged for a bit before turning the big pretty blue eyes on her, asking for her trust. Right at the pinnacle of this fluffy little exchange, Kent came charging across the ethereal soil with an ugly look on his face, intent on beating X to a pulp. X, being a nice guy, pulled out his sword known as the Keyé Li'ink and let Kent have a big eyeful of the blade. Kent understood the simple gesture and froze in his tracks. After this, Kent, still angry but at least smarter, continued to yell his questions from a safe distance away. Florina had a quiet little déjà vu moment as everyone she had seen when she was 'dead' came running up to Kent. The spirits were on X's side until Kent told them of his murder and of Serra's hanging- and boy that changed their perspective's quickly! Sure enough, Murphy's Law came into effect, and some of the shadow minions that had attacked Florina and X appeared to shake things up. X strode forward and began cutting the shadows down, engaging in a quickly escalating fight. When Florina ran forward with her Slim lance to help, X shouted for her to stay back. Ignoring the assassin's warning, Florina used her lance as a javelin and took out one of the closest minions, which for some unknown reason seemed to aggravate X to no end. He ran over to Florina, who cowered at his approach. Kent's immediate instinct was to protect the tiny maiden, and shoved X away. The assassin calmly let his inertia carry him over the edge, and he slipped into the lava to a fiery and painful 'death'. Florina delivered Lyn's final message to Kent, who accepted it. Florina, having done her job, curled into a ball at Kent's feet and began to cry.

Legault was doing his stealthy-sneaky-thief-ninja thing, and 'snuck up' on X. As he drew the knife to hurl at his back, he felt the knife of someone else slide across his throat, stopping him cold. X was standing right behind him.

After the chapter ended, we tried out a new 'next chapter' format, and it was well loved by every fan that read it! So, that format has been finalised, and will commonly be used at the end of every chapter from now on.

Serra: You know, we've taken up four pages worth of recounting last chapter.

IceBlade28: Maybe we need a new format for it. I'll look into it. For now, start the fic!

**Chapter XXII: Grieve, For Your Innocence Is Lost**

Raven grabbed his sister by the hand and pulled her along, before seating her on a comfortable bed and brushing a bang out of her face. Priscilla still felt very whimsical, and was continually running her hands over her body to familiarise herself. Raven pushed one of her hands away.

"Sir, I don't know who you are, but you're being particularly rude," Priscilla said. Raven winced.

"Priscilla, you're my adopted sister," Raven said. "Please . . . doesn't anything I'm saying trigger a memory?" Priscilla shook her head mutely.

"I . . . feel like I should know you, but I don't. Is this wrong of me?" She wondered. Raven pushed the futility aside. Anything was better than a complete void.

"You don't remember anything?" Raven asked. "Your name, your skills, your parents- nothing?" Priscilla shook her head.

"I appreciate your concern, dear sir, but I cannot remember a thing." Raven had only one option he could think of, and he took it. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all.

He kissed her.

Priscilla broke the kiss off first, anger blazing through her eyes.

"How dare you!" she huffed, slapping Raven hard across the cheek. The mercenary rubbed the handprint, scowling. The troubadour caught his hint and flopped back on the bed, breathing deeply. This stranger had kissed her! And he seemed so dangerous. Still, who did he think he . . .

"Something . . . I can't . . . it's foggy, but I . . ." Priscilla mumbled. Slowly she sat up, and stared at Raven with adoring eyes.

"Are . . . Erk?" She said, staring at Raven with lovestruck eyes. "Is that you, Erk?"

Raven groaned and slumped to his knees, beating his head against the bedpost.

-----

Legault swallowed gingerly, making sure he didn't cut his Adam's apple on the knife held at his throat. He managed to freeze after that, hiding his feelings of fear with years of expertise.

"Glad I found you." X scowled. "What do you want?"

"A purchase." The boy's curiosity was piqued, but he kept it to himself; the mark of a good assassin was the ability to keep oneself in check.

"What do you have to buy with?"

"Information." X was intrigued, but kept his dagger tight against the Hurricane's throat.

"Information about what?"

"Information about who's standing behind you," Legault said casually. X knew the former Black Fang member wasn't lying either: the little hairs on the back of X's neck were prickling. As it was, there was only one other person who was good enough for X to allow to sneak up behind him.

"I see you're feeling better, Matthew," X said, without looking behind him. The green-cloaked boy soon felt a sharp pain press into his back, positioned behind his heart.

"Let Legault go," Matthew demanded. X smirked, removing the dagger from the Hurricane's neck with exaggerated care.

"So, why are you here?" X asked conversationally. An odd tone to adopt, considering the three of them were back to front to back on a tree branch several feet above the ground. X got the hint when the pressure on his back increased fractionally, and there was no reply.

"You're not stupid enough to try to kill me, are you?" X said, feeling adrenaline begin to supercharge his body. Legault shifted around, pointing his dagger at X's throat. There was no possible escape.

"I'm the house cleaner, remember?" Legault said. "I brought Matthew along because he seemed to enjoy the idea of this little task." X nodded slowly.

"So much experience and skill between the two of you," he marvelled. "And yet you make the rookie mistake of forgetting your surroundings."

X took the time to smirk at Legault before simply tipping sideways and falling out of the tree. He landed hard on his shoulder, getting up with a groan and cradling the injured joint. There'd be a lovely bruise or two there in the morning.

The thumps of two additional bodies on the ground heralded the arrival of Legault and Matthew, both of which would probably try to kill him, a task made easier now that he had a busted shoulder. At least X had room to move on the ground, and he flicked his cloak aside to draw his sword awkwardly with his other hand. After a few clumsy broad swipes to keep the advancing thieves back, he knew he'd already lost this fight. Matthew and Legault were faster, smarter, and better with their weapons.

Faced with this overwhelming truth, X did what any sane person would do. He ran for his life, disappearing into the brush and hurtling the wall back into Badon. Once on the other side, X grinned. A little self-pride never hurt every now and then. An assassin has to take pride in his works.

Footsteps sounded on the other side of the wall, and he heard the crunch of boots against loose stone. Legault- or Matthew- was climbing the wall.

Perhaps a little more running was a good idea.

-----

Sain stared at the sun, sitting in its highest point. It was noon, and the time had come. Kent's funeral had started, and people had lined the beach, sitting on crude chairs and borrowed bar stools. The legs of the bar stools sunk deep into the sand, making some of them tilt different ways, but no-one really cared. It was a funeral, after all, and the seats only mattered to the really annoying people who kept nit-picking every little thing.

"My seat keeps tilting," Serra whispered irritably. Those close to her spared a second or two to give her self-righteous looks of indignation before turning back to the proceedings. Serra scowled. She'd been alive less than twenty-four hours, and already people were acting as though they thought she was better off dead. Kaira had the nerve to deny her the privilege of acting alongside her adorable Lucius as a cleric, despite her pleas of perfect health. Serra glanced around her, trying to see who was sitting together without falling off her barstool. To her loathing, Erk was sitting next to the red-headed tramp who called herself a troubadour. Although, honestly, Serra did feel a tiny bit of pity for Priscilla- losing your memory completely is kinda harsh. If Kaira hadn't instructed her not to mess with Priscilla's new memory in _any _way, Serra would have relished convincing Priscilla that she didn't belong anywhere near Erk. The stupid tactician thought of everything.

Rebecca was sitting next to Sain, who was already red-eyed and couldn't speak. Florina was sitting between Lyn and Guy, not sure where to lean, and Fiora was standing vigil, trembling. Serra watched the aqua-haired Pegasus Knight, and inside she wondered if Fiora was trembling from anger or grief. There weren't many who knew about Kent and Fiora's budding romance, but nothing escapes from the prying ears of the camp gossip.

Now that Serra thought of it, the affection that Kent and Fiora had shared couldn't have come up at a worse time. The whole problem with the framing of Florina's murder had put some bad blood between them, even though Kent wasn't guilty and Florina didn't actually die in the first place. And, wouldn't you know it, Kent gets killed in a full-blown night battle against Black Fang sellswords just as they start to make up. It had been a doomed relationship from the beginning.

Serra shrugged. May as well watch the funeral. Lucius had just finished reciting the holy rites, and he dipped two fingers into a small crystal bowl that contained holy water, marking the coffin once before giving it a gentle push out into the tide. At the front of the crowd, Lyndis rose to her feet, obeying her duty as Kent's commanding officer.

"The passing of Kent shall be honoured by a seven missile salute. Please stand to attention," Lyn commanded, sounding harsh and formal. The crowd clambered off their variously tilting stools and placed their hands over their hearts. Lucius, Erk, Canas and Rebecca prepared their various weapons, aiming them high into the air.

"Fire!" Lyn ordered, watching the magic and flaming arrows fly into the air seven times. It was a wonderful union of the realms of the physical, light, anima and darkness, and the lonely Sacaen woman knew of the symbolism behind it. Each spell represented an attribute of a man's soul, with the flaming arrow representing that man's life in the physical world. Despite the beauty of the salute, Lyn still felt it was wrong: there had never been any darkness in Kent. There was nothing but light. The light she had fallen in love with.

The ceremony was declared over, and it was time for the testimonials. There was never any set order for this; those who felt like saying something got up and said it. Somehow, a solemn order kept there from being any confusion. It was how things like this always worked.

Sain clambered to his feet, wiping his eyes, with Rebecca supporting him until he got to the makeshift podium where he stood to proud attention, watching Kent's casket float gently out to sea. This was the end for the partnership of Kent and Sain, and no amount of words could change that. He was his own man from here on.

"You're doing great," Rebecca said quietly, and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. Sain tried to smile. At least someone was rooting for him. Sain opened his mouth and let a tiny choking sound escape before he found his voice. He needed to do Kent justice, and somehow words just couldn't do it. This wasn't like wooing some village maiden for a one night stand, where his flowery poetic tongue. This was his boon companion. This was the Crimson Shield.

"Kent was more than a man," Sain forced, and with that first sentence, he felt his words drip from his lips like honey. The Green Lance stood tall and proud, speaking of Kent's goodness, his chivalry, his military might, and of the love he shared for his Lady. He spoke of Kent's knighthood, and finished with a mighty affirmation of who Kent was.

The testimonies bore on, and Fiora withstood each one, trying not to burst into tears after every word. The man she began to love had been framed for the murder of his sister, then cleared, then killed in a completely unrelated fight.

Fiora turned and fled from the funeral; surprisingly, no-one noticed except Florina, who went after her. Lyn, who was standing at the podium, sharing her testimony of Kent's dedication as a knight, interrupted herself by stepping down and running after her Pegasus Knight friend. Florina was surprisingly fast on her feet, and her cries of 'Sister!' were soon lost amidst the quiet Badon suburbs, leaving Lyn alone.

Lyn stopped when a flash of green cloak caught her eye, and she found herself in a stone courtyard with a fountain. The fountain itself was unremarkable, but the person sitting on top of it was anything but.

X jumped nimbly from the top of the fountain, landing on the ground and staring at Lyn's emerald eyes.

-----

Ninian stared at herself in the mirror, clad in her shimmering blue dress. She'd already apologised to Eliwood about his father, and she still couldn't shake the feeling that it was her fault. She could recall an offer he had once made about wanting to see her dance, and Ninian felt that perhaps if she performed her best, he could forgive her. And perhaps a dance of new life could offer a little joy after such a mournful occasion as Kent's funeral. Perhaps Eliwood could look at her the way she so often looked at him.

"You look beautiful, Sis," Nils said fondly, tying Ninian's translucent blue ribbon around her waist. "There's nothing for Lord Eliwood to forgive, anyway. It wasn't your fault that Elbert died, but if this settles both your guilt and his then I'll be cheering for you." Ninian turned to face her brother, her face full of gratitude.

"Brother, thank you," She said, grabbing his hands in joy. Nils tried to pull away, but Ninian's movement was so unexpected that he failed to protect his hands.

"Sister, don't-" Nils' eyes started from his head, and he started to cough. Ninian froze; unsure of what was happening. The bard was choking and shaking. Ninian pulled her hands away to see a flicker of silver light slip from Nils' palms into hers. There was no denying what was happening, embarrassing and accidental though it was. Ninian immediately closed her fists and severed the connection between them, allowing Nils to collapse on her bed in a sweaty mess.

"Brother, I'm so sorry!" Ninian said frantically. Nils shook his head and put a hand out, breathing heavily.

"It's alright. It was an accident. Just- don't touch me again," the young dragon coughed. Ninian turned a deep red, ashamed at her own mistake and how good it felt while she was causing her brother pain. Still, within everything she had taken from her brother, she felt sickness. Her brother was hiding a secret from her, something that could endanger her life. Ninian frowned, searching her mind to find what it could be. It didn't take long before she found it, nestled in a back corner of her brain like a bloated spider. She stared at her brother in shock. Nils caught her eyes and his gut had figured it out even before it registered in his brain.

"Nils . . . you made a deal with him?" Ninian said, appalled. Nils hung his head.

"I wanted to protect you," he mumbled. "You know who he is, you know he's the best, I thought if I made a deal with him he could keep us safe." Ninian shook her head, enraged by her brother's foolishness.

"I- I can't talk to you right now, Nils. I can't even look at you. Go," she said, pointing towards the door. Nils nodded, feeling lower than anything he'd eaten, trudging out the door. Even if Ninian couldn't see the good in what he'd tried to do, perhaps Tactician Kaira would appreciate the information he was going to give her.

-----

The lavender haired girl known as Kaira was lying on her bed after Kent's funeral, stewing over too many things in her mind. She had to keep herself professional at times like this. Emotions became things that got in the way, and if a tactician based her decisions on her emotions, people died. It was better to bottle it up and lock it away in the bottom of her heart until she could find a time and place to empty it out.

It wasn't just Kent's funeral that was making her think; everything she thought of tied back to the homicidal boy in green. X. Who was he? No matter which way Kaira tried to interpret his actions, she kept coming up with anomalies in her pattern. It was like the boy himself was changing as fast as her thoughts. There simply wasn't enough information about the assassin to be able to guess what he was going to do next or who he was going to target. He was a third party in this entire war between Eliwood and Nergal, a third party that threatened to disrupt the plans of both sides and send the entire delicate balance of destiny into chaos.

Worse yet were the increasingly frequent interactions between X and Lyndis. Clearly Lyndis knew something about X, or she used to know something. X had never made an attempt on her life, and had come to her when he needed aid, as stupid as that would be to an assassin of his calibre. Oddly enough, any time Lyn had tried to kill the boy in green, it had never succeeded. Kaira frowned as she thought about this. Lyn had defeated every foe she had stood against, and she had never needed help from an ally. She owned the Sword of Spirits, after all, and there was a clear difference in her fighting skills when she used the Mani Katti and when she used a generic Steel sword. So why wouldn't Lyn kill this boy?

Kaira paused. Every attempt on X's life with Lyn involved had failed. Kaira knew that any party with her Sacaen friend as a member was more than sufficient to kill X. So, logically, every attack that Lyndis was a part of should have succeeded-

Unless Lyn didn't want him dead. Kaira swallowed. Lyn had hidden X behind her back once, and even though she tried to kill him, she had talked with him. She'd had communications with the assassin, secret liaisons that Kaira may not know about. As much as she hated it, Lyn would have to become a fourth factor in her calculations concerning the assassin.

Even Florina, the timid little girl that Kaira called friend, had had multiple contacts with X, more than anyone else, in fact. She had seen him in premonitions, talked with him, been hurt and healed and flattered and warned and saved by him. The two could almost be considered friends if X wasn't the cause of her premonitions- granted, Kaira had little if any proof to back up this claim, but she had a hunch about it, and her hunches often turned out to be right. There were so many variables in her mind, so many parties, all after their own desires; it was hard for a girl to think.

Kaira froze as a thought occurred to her. Maybe X wasn't a third party. If his allegiances lay solely with one man, then everything started to make sense. The tactician sat up suddenly and nearly knocked herself out on the beams of the bottom bunk. Mentally she cursed herself for being so stupid. Why hadn't she seen it before?! X's involvement, his own agenda- _his own agenda_! X was the key!

"Nergal!" she cried, launching herself off the bottom bed and dashing for the main hall, ignoring the interested looks from unknown males at her oversized chest, jiggling with every pace. Kaira knew Eliwood and Lyndis and Hector would be waiting for her in the meeting hall.

"The boy is working for Nergal!"

-----

Eliwood opened the door of the meeting hall, intending to step outside for a moment to grab a breath of fresh air when an impossible sight greeted him. The figure of a woman in white armour, riding down the street with her blue hair flying behind her on a magnificent floss-white horse was clearly visible.

"Marcus," he said, turning to his long-time friend. "Surely that isn't-"

"Isadora!" Marcus cried, sprinting down the street to meet his comrade. Eliwood ran after his older companion, unsure of how to react. Isadora was here. Had something happened to his mother? If his mother was in danger . . . Eliwood wasn't sure how he could take the loss of both parents so closely together. But he may be overreacting. Maybe everything was fine. Maybe Isadora was just a messenger.

"Isadora, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be protecting my mother?" Eliwood asked anxiously. Isadora smiled.

"When Lady Eleanora heard of your father's death, she didn't say a word. She just paid full attention to the messenger. When he was done, she demanded that I be despatched immediately to help see you safely home. I know you worry for her, but please try to understand her point of view," explained Isadora. "All she wants is to see that her son gets safely home." Marcus turned to the redheaded youth.

"We could use the extra security, you know. It seems like the Black Fang are going to continue to hound us, particularly if Nergal is behind them," he said. Eliwood nodded.

"Well, I can't ignore a helping hand. I'm glad to see you, Isadora," the Lord said. Isadora nodded.

"Likewise, my Lord Eliwood. Are there any orders?" Eliwood's eyes hardened.

"We've delayed in Badon too long. Spread the word- tomorrow morning we move to Ostia post-haste," he said. "Anything the Marquess can do would help. I'm sure Hector will talk to him."

They spread out amongst the houses, intent on making Eliwood's knowledge known to the army.

-----

IceBlade28: Well, that should do for Chapter XXII. I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long to post- I've moved from Australia to America to live, and transferring schools and homework and the entire move has been nasty. I've barely had time to breathe, much less write. Sorry this is kinda short, too. I do know the new story arc I want to introduce, though, so I'll be able to give this story a little jump start soon.

Serra: Shall I give the preview of next chapter?

IceBlade28: That'd be nice.

Serra: Alright!! Next time, on Person's Unknown . . .

-----

Lyn stared hard at X, sliding her hand back to the hilt of her sword. "What do you want?" she hissed. X stopped a good distance away from her, smiling sincerely. Lyn glanced at his sapphire-blue eyes before yanking her gaze away. She'd been lost in those eyes too many times before, and she wasn't going to let it happen again.

X watched Lyn coolly, and his demeanour seemed almost inhuman.

"I want to give you a chance to kill me," he said. "No tricks, just a contest of swordsmanship. If you win, you may take my life."

"You'll beg for mercy first!" Lyn shrieked, drawing her Mani Katti and sprinting towards the assassin. She remained blissfully unaware of the conditions if she lost, however . . .

-----

Ninian stood by her brother in the throne room, watching Lord Eliwood leave. Nils was beside her, and the female dragon turned to her brother.

"Nils, I'm not sure, but-"

"You think something is wrong with you, don't you?" Nils said quietly. Ninian's eyes betrayed serious fear, and she nodded. Nils lowered his gaze.

"Can you control it?" he asked. Ninian shook her head.

"How can I control what's wrong if I don't even know what it is yet?" she whimpered. Nils smiled at his sister and brushed her hand with his.

Immediately he knew it was a mistake. A silver flash of light pierced the space between them, and Nils' eyelids fluttered as he fell to the ground. Ninian started to hyperventilate as more and more quintessence was ripped from her brother's body and fused into her own through her palms.

-----

Hector swung his axe at the wyvern rider, who quickly blocked it with his lance and pushed the mighty axe aside. The wyvern itself snapped angrily at Hector, but the rider smacked the beast on the head and turned his visored attention to Hector. The blue-armoured Lord was in an offensive battle stance, ready for the slightest provocation to attack.

"Hold! I've not come to fight!" said the wyvern rider. Hector growled.

"Are you on their side?" the Ostian asked. The wyvern rider paused.

"Well, yes, but I don't . . ." Hector sighed, already bored with the conversation.

"Then you're my enemy! Quit trying to prolong things and fight!" he yelled, swinging the axe and cutting brutally into Heath's side.

-----

Guy parried an attack from a Brigand and twirled his sword nimbly, stepping in for the kill. To his horror, the Brigand not only evaded his attack but gave Guy a harsh cut along his arm. Guy stumbled backwards, holding his forearm tight to try and slow the loss of blood. The Brigand hefted his odd-looking axe.

"'S called a Swordreaver," he boasted. "'S made ta take out them sword users. Looks ta me likes youse in a bit a trouble!"

Guy bit his lip as the Brigand advanced. His sword arm was losing strength and blood, and the nearest healer was too far away, out of earshot. Desperately, he snatched the vulnerary pouch at his hip and shoved it to his mouth.

It was empty.

-----

Serra: Tune in next time, for Chapter XXIII: The Illusion of Control. Don't miss it!

IceBlade28: Drop a review on your way out, it's always appreciated!! Oh, and in your review, mention if you want the 'Previously, On Person's Unknown' section to take the same format as the teasers for next chapter! It does mean you have to put up with less of Serra . . .

Serra: Hey! That was uncalled for!

IceBlade28: Well, you never know. The readers might stand up to you.

Serra: Not if they know what's good for them! (brandishes Heal staff)

IceBlade28: What have I told you about that thing?! (is K.O'ed). Ow.

Serra: Drop a review on the way out, and maybe I won't kill him!

IceBlade28: Ow . . .


	23. Chapter XXIII: The Illusion Of Control

IceBlade28: Well, seeing as I am an amateur writer and I only come up with something good when inspiration strikes, I am sitting here at my computer here today with a hot batch of fanfic straight from the oven. Here it is, for your viewing pleasure: Person's Unknown, Chapter XXIII: The Illusion Of Control.

Serra: Now, Taylor and I have talked it over a little bit, and we have decided to revamp the section where we cover the events in the last chapter. While I was crushed by it-

IceBlade28: Only because it cut out about ninety percent of your air time.

Serra: Darn right it did! How dare you-

IceBlade28: Despite cutting out a lot of Serra's air time, the proposal was granted, and it shall be implemented in this very chapter. So, here I go.

Previously, on Person's Unknown . . .

-----

"Priscilla, you're my adopted sister," Raven said. "Please . . . doesn't anything I'm saying trigger a memory?" Priscilla shook her head mutely.

"I . . . feel like I should know you, but I don't. Is this wrong of me?" She wondered. Raven pushed the futility aside. Anything was better than a complete void.

"You don't remember anything?" Raven asked. "Your name, your skills, your parents- nothing?" Priscilla shook her head.

"I appreciate your concern, dear sir, but I cannot remember a thing." Raven had only one option he could think of, and he took it. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all.

He kissed her.

-----

"You're not stupid enough to try to kill me, are you?" X said, feeling adrenaline begin to supercharge his body. Legault shifted around, pointing his dagger at X's throat. There was no possible escape.

"I'm the house cleaner, remember?" Legault said. "I brought Matthew along because he seemed to enjoy the idea of this little task." X nodded slowly.

"So much experience and skill between the two of you," he marvelled. "And yet you make the rookie mistake of forgetting your surroundings."

X took the time to smirk at Legault before simply tipping sideways and falling out of the tree. He landed hard on his shoulder, getting up with a groan and cradling the injured joint. There'd be a lovely bruise or two there in the morning.

-----

"The passing of Kent shall be honoured by a seven missile salute. Please stand to attention," Lyn commanded, sounding harsh and formal. The crowd clambered off their variously tilting stools and placed their hands over their hearts. Lucius, Erk, Canas and Rebecca prepared their various weapons, aiming them high into the air.

"Fire!" Lyn ordered, watching the magic and flaming arrows fly into the air seven times. It was a wonderful union of the realms of the physical, light, anima and darkness, and the lonely Sacaen woman knew of the symbolism behind it. Each spell represented an attribute of a man's soul, with the flaming arrow representing that man's life in the physical world. Despite the beauty of the salute, Lyn still felt it was wrong: there had never been any darkness in Kent. There was nothing but light. The light she had fallen in love with.

The ceremony was declared over, and it was time for the testimonials. There was never any set order for this; those who felt like saying something got up and said it. Somehow, a solemn order kept there from being any confusion. It was how things like this always worked.

-----

"Sister, don't-" Nils' eyes started from his head, and he started to cough. Ninian froze; unsure of what was happening. The bard was choking and shaking. Ninian pulled her hands away to see a flicker of silver light slip from Nils' palms into hers. There was no denying what was happening, embarrassing and accidental though it was. Ninian immediately closed her fists and severed the connection between them, allowing Nils to collapse on her bed in a sweaty mess.

"Brother, I'm so sorry!" Ninian said frantically. Nils shook his head and put a hand out, breathing heavily.

"It's alright. It was an accident. Just- don't touch me again," the young dragon coughed. Ninian turned a deep red, ashamed at her own mistake and how good it felt while she was causing her brother pain. Still, within everything she had taken from her brother, she felt sickness. Her brother was hiding a secret from her, something that could endanger her life. Ninian frowned, searching her mind to find what it could be. It didn't take long before she found it, nestled in a back corner of her brain like a bloated spider. She stared at her brother in shock. Nils caught her eyes and his gut had figured it out even before it registered in his brain.

"Nils . . . you made a deal with him?" Ninian said, appalled.

-----

The lavender haired girl known as Kaira was lying on her bed after Kent's funeral, stewing over too many things in her mind. She had to keep herself professional at times like this. Emotions became things that got in the way, and if a tactician based her decisions on her emotions, people died. It was better to bottle it up and lock it away in the bottom of her heart until she could find a time and place to empty it out.

It wasn't just Kent's funeral that was making her think; everything she thought of tied back to the homicidal boy in green. X. Who was he? No matter which way Kaira tried to interpret his actions, she kept coming up with anomalies in her pattern. It was like the boy himself was changing as fast as her thoughts. There simply wasn't enough information about the assassin to be able to guess what he was going to do next or who he was going to target. He was a third party in this entire war between Eliwood and Nergal, a third party that threatened to disrupt the plans of both sides and send the entire delicate balance of destiny into chaos.

-----

Eliwood opened the door of the meeting hall, intending to step outside for a moment to grab a breath of fresh air when an impossible sight greeted him. The figure of a woman in white armour, riding down the street with her blue hair flying behind her on a magnificent floss-white horse was clearly visible.

"Marcus," he said, turning to his long-time friend. "Surely that isn't-"

"Isadora!" Marcus cried, sprinting down the street to meet his comrade. Eliwood ran after his older companion, unsure of how to react. Isadora was here. Had something happened to his mother?

-----

Serra: Well, that's the new format for revising the previous chapter. Do you like it?

IceBlade28: Of course they like it. If they didn't, they'd say so in the reviews.

Serra: I hate it.

IceBlade28: Of course you hate it. I cut you out of it. You're no longer the star. You are finished, over, we're making you a freelance consultant, you're not moving in the same direction as the fic, we're downsizing, you're getting the sack, you've been fired, you're booted off- pick any. I have more.

Serra: You mean I'm not your muse?

IceBlade28: Of course. Didn't you just read my spiel?

Serra: But who's replacing me?

IceBlade28: Who do you think?

Serra: Who do I . . . oh no. You wouldn't dare.

IceBlade28: I wouldn't dare what?

Serra: Where's my staff? I'll make you regret this.

IceBlade28: What, you mean this? (dangles Heal staff). This goes to the new muse, who happens to be prettier than you as well.

Serra: I'm the prettiest cleric in the camp!

IceBlade28: Oh, I never said she was a cleric. (hands Heal staff to New Muse)

Serra: You couldn't have . . . you replaced me with-

Priscilla: Hi. Thanks for the new job, Taylor, it was very sweet of you to give this to me.

Serra: You tramp! (slaps Priscilla).

IceBlade28: Oi! That's enough!

Priscilla: Slut! (slaps Serra).

IceBlade28: _Cut it out!_ If you keep cat-fighting, this fic will have to go up a rating due to sexual references, and then we'll lose readers, which will mean you'll _both_ be out of a job!

(Serra and Priscilla pause)

IceBlade28: I thought that might get it through to you. Now start the fic.

**Chapter XXIII: The Illusion Of Control**

X jumped nimbly from the top of the fountain, landing on the ground and staring at Lyn's emerald eyes. Lyn stared hard at X, sliding her hand back to the hilt of her sword.

"Hi," he said casually, walking towards her with a smile. Lyn stood her ground, staring at the assassin with unrestrained venom.

"What do you want?" she hissed. X stopped a good distance away from her, and his smile took on a mocking tone. Lyn glanced at his sapphire-blue eyes before yanking her gaze away. She'd been lost in those eyes too many times before, and she wasn't going to let it happen again.

X watched Lyn coolly, and his demeanour seemed almost inhuman.

"I want to give you a chance to kill me," he said. "No tricks, just a contest of swordsmanship. If you win, you may take my life."

"You'll beg for mercy first!" Lyn shrieked, drawing her Mani Katti and sprinting towards the assassin. She remained blissfully unaware of the conditions if she lost, however . . .

X grinned drawing his Keyé Li'ink and dashing to meet her, hacking once at her side. Dropping to his knees, he levered the flat of his sword between Lyn's legs and tripped her. The Sacaen fell on her face and dropped her weapon before growling and bounding back up-

To find X's Keyé Li'ink placed firmly at her throat, it's razor tip tickling the skin. The assassin tutted at her like a small child, and it burned Lyn's pride not to shove the weapon away and tear the infuriating boy apart.

"I'm disappointed, Lyn. You were so obsessed with killing me that you ignored the rest of the rules," X said.

"Rules?"

"Yes, rules. Before you jumped the gun, I said that if you defeat me in a contest of swordsmanship then you may kill me. If _I_ win . . ." X said, trailing off. Lyn swallowed.

"If you win?" The young lady quavered, repeatedly losing herself in the gleam of X's sword and the gleam in his eye. X grinned, much as a shark would at his dinner.

"If I win, which I just have, then you must allow me to show you something. After I have finished, you are to clear all charges against my name and employ me in your company." X said, laying his demands on the table. Lyn snarled, watching her breath cast mist along the length of the blade.

"Show me what? The dead bodies of all my friends? I've seen enough of them die by your hand! You're working for Nergal, aren't you? You pig!!" She spat, rolling backwards and twisting to slash at X's feet. The assassin laughed.

"Now that's more like the Lyndis I knew!" X said cryptically. Lyn didn't even pause; she allowed emotions to control her movements. Anger took the helm at her attacks, consisting of crushing blows and rushing lunges.

Despite the noise they made as they duelled, not a single other soul came to the courtyard.

Lyn yelled as she locked X's sword against her own and punched the boy in the head, enjoying the feel of face against fist. He staggered back, his guard open; Lyn took full advantage, kicking and punching and finally sweeping his sword from his hand and cutting into his spleen. Fresh blood poured along her blade and onto the ground, and X's cry rang in Lyndis' ears like the chorus of a hundred angels.

Lyndis twisted the sword inside her enemy's body and wrenched it out, using momentum to bring her around for a backslash that would behead her enemy, much as her love was beheaded some twenty-four hours ago . . .

When her sword cut through nothing. X had moved at blurring speeds, whipping around behind Lyndis and driving a knuckle into a tender place on her back. Lyn seized up, and exploding panic took over. She couldn't move! What had he done to her?! Oh Father Sky, what had he done?! She couldn't move her legs!

X saw the fear in Lyn's eyes as she took wild swings at him, trying to keep distance between them. Despite the blood still pouring from his side wound, the assassin ducked in under Lyn's swipes and used the same move to drive a knuckle deep into the vein that ran along Lyn's bicep. The effect was immediate- blinding pain and frozen muscles stopped the girl's arm in its tracks. Returning the punishment inflicted on him just moments ago, X crippled the Caelin princess with a series of blows that left Lyndis' muscles petrified and screaming.

Lyn stared at the bleeding killer, as immobile as a statue. Pain and unrelenting panic were forcing tears to drip from her eyes as she stood at his mercy. X lifted his finger and brushed one of the tears away, his face grim.

"If you knew what I wanted to show you in the first place, maybe this could have been easier," X said, reaching up to Lyn's collarbone and twisting.

As easily as using a key on a lock, Lyn's body unfroze and she collapsed to the ground. X used the moment of distraction to confiscate her sword, holding it away from her. Lyndis got to her feet, panting and hiccupping from her sobs.

"Fine. You win," she coughed, the words tasting bitter in her mouth. "What do you want to show me?" X handed the Mani Katti back, knowing that Lyndis was no harm to him. The Sacaen plainspeople never lied, and so she was bound by the pride of her heritage to follow his deal through to the end.

"I want to show you the truth," X said, taking a vial from under his cloak and swallowing a mouthful. His side wound slowly closed up, and Lyndis noticed the telltale magic glow that showed a Vulnerary in use.

"Lyndis," X said. "I will show you who I am, and why you know me."

Without warning X cuffed Lyndis over the temple, knocking her solidly unconscious and carrying her away.

-----

Kaira looked around the army with a frown on her face. She hadn't seen Lyndis since the funeral back at Badon, and she was starting to wonder where the pretty Sacaen had gotten to. The tactician increased her marching pace, moving through the ranks of the soldiers to the front, where Hector and Eliwood were riding. Kaira glanced at the bodies and faces of each person as she passed them, double checking. No-one fit the bill of a green haired Sacaen girl. It was definite, then: Lyndis was not with them.

Which left the obvious question to be asked: if she wasn't here, then where was she?

Kaira nudged her steed into a canter and edged up next to Eliwood, intent on sharing not only her observations but a few other tidbits of necessary tactical information she had acquired while in Badon.

"Lord Eliwood," she said, shifting awkwardly to face her superior officer; Eliwood was talking to Isadora at the moment, and Kaira squirmed in her saddle. Despite her travels, Kaira just wasn't built to ride horses. She didn't have Priscilla's body- she felt every vibration shoot through her saddle and up into her chest. It hurt, and it was repetitive, so it was annoying as well.

"Lord Eliwood," she repeated, grabbing his attention. The young redhead turned to her cheerfully.

"Tactician Kaira! How wonderful. I was just outlining some of your finer strategies to Isadora here," Eliwood said. The optimism in his face died out when he saw the look on Kaira's face, and he guided his steed in her direction. Soon the lord and young girl became their own two-person pod just outside the body of the army.

"Is something wrong, Lady Tactician?" Eliwood said. Kaira snorted.

"Lord Eliwood, there are over a dozen things wrong at the moment, but for time's sake I'll cut it to the most important. Lyn is missing, and no-one I've talked to has seen her since Badon. While normally I'd dismiss this as emotional insecurity on Lyn's part, we both know she wouldn't let someone's death affect her like that, not even Kent's. Secondly, I haven't seen X since Badon either, and Matthew and Legault reported that they lost him in the suburbs," Kaira listed. Eliwood paused.

"What do you think has happened?" He asked.

"I think X has kidnapped Lyn, and whether he intends to kill her or otherwise is completely unclear," Kaira said. "I am sure he's working for Nergal, however, so his intentions cannot be beneficial to our mission." Eliwood laughed.

"Kaira, you sound so formal! You're only, what, sixteen? Seventeen? It's wrong enough that I've enlisted you in open combat, but you're sounding like Marcus! Try and be yourself!" Eliwood said. Kaira blushed, an act that surprised her more than him.

"Well, I've had to grow up quickly. I know you know what that's like, so I thought you might understand," Kaira confessed. "Look . . . as a tactician, I really shouldn't be admitting this, but . . . I don't have the slightest clue what I'm doing. I never went to any sort of 'tactician school', I've only ever supervised one successful campaign, and that was when I helped Lyndis retake her throne. I've nearly had a lot of my soldiers killed, and it's been Elimine's divine hand that kept them alive, I'm sure of it. It's just that, well- I'm making this up as I go along, and I'm terrified that sooner or later I'm going to get someone killed because of it." Eliwood rode beside the busty girl, who blushed with embarrassment and went silent. The redheaded lord was condemningly quiet, and when he finally spoke he chose his words carefully.

"Kaira, I don't care about any previous mistakes that you've made, as long as you've learned from them. I chose you to be my tactician for a reason: you're smart, intuitive, young, and you've had experience, both good and bad. Look at what you've done so far- not a single person has died under your command. You've given us a bloodless campaign so far, and if this X person wasn't screwing things up for us, you'd be an angel sent from Saint Elimine herself. I have faith in you, and I know you won't let me down. You have the trust of the army behind you, and you're too darn good of a tactical officer to screw up needlessly. I'm proud of you," Eliwood finished.

"That's what I'm scared of," Kaira whispered, and her words were lost amidst the drumming of hooves against the ground. The tactician slid her horse back into the ranks of the army, and she found herself wishing that she had her close friend Lyn to talk with.

After a short while the tactician spied the fortress where Marquess Ostia would be waiting for them, and a horrible little knot in her stomach whispered that Lyndis might not live to see them again.

Normally Kaira would dismiss the knot as anxiety, but her knots had a habit of being right at the most annoying opportunity.

-----

Priscilla was sitting on a rock, holding a mushroom in her hand and contemplating it with a whimsical look. The troubadour still had many gaping holes in her memory, but bits and pieces would occasionally come back to her with time and experience. Raven's kiss took some time to correct, since the emotional contact had triggered many pheromone-related memories about Erk and resulted in Priscilla following her brother around for the next two days with stars in her eyes, much to the consternation to Erk. Still, the mage had managed to correct things by kissing her in a particularly passionate fashion, so the fiasco had solved itself.

Priscilla giggled at the memory of Erk's deep red embarrassment after kissing her in front of several of his acquaintances and then became capriciously lost in the mushroom again, at least until Erk came tramping up through the grass.

"Oh, hi Erk!" Priscilla said cheerily. "Have a look at this mushroom." The mage sighed. His principal had taken on the manner and personality of Lady Florina, or perhaps Lady Rebecca, and while such a change in paradigm was uplifting to be around, Priscilla needed to be her stately and demure self again.

"Listen, Lady Priscilla, there's something I need to talk to you about-" Erk began, only to be interrupted by the cute troubadour again.

"Erk, when I look at this mushroom I think I remember something, but I don't know what. Did I use to like mushrooms?" she wondered. The mage pinched the bridge of his nose until he caught sight of the fungus.

"What? Lady Priscilla, no, you're-" He began, only to watch Priscilla toss the mushroom into her mouth and chew inquisitorially. Her face puckered and the chewed-up remains of the mushroom were spat onto the grass.

"I don't think I liked mushrooms," Priscilla said, clawing at her tongue in an effort to get the remnants off. Erk rushed to her side.

"Lady Priscilla, you didn't like them because you're allergic to mushrooms!" Erk said, kneeling by her side. Priscilla stared at her hands, which had made first contact.

"I'm allergic to mushrooms?" She wondered, before coughing hard. It felt like something was taking root in her throat, and her arms were beginning to break out in thick red hives. Erk looked around for Priscilla's healing staff; once finding it, he shoved it into her arms.

"Here! Take it!" Erk shouted. Priscilla shook her head.

"I can't! A hea'er ca' hea' theirthelf!" the troubadour tried to say. Erk made a face.

"What?" Priscilla's tongue was swelling in her mouth, and the young girl was starting to turn pink from lack of oxygen.

"I thai' a he'ah cah' he' thei'the'f!" Priscilla said thickly, feeling her brain start to swim. Erk started to panic.

"Lady Priscilla, you're clearly in no state to heal yourself, but I've never used one of these before!" Erk said. "I- how do I use this?!" Priscilla's eyes fluttered, and she collapsed. The mage yelled and completely lost his wits, throwing the staff jewel-first into his charge's face.

Oddly enough, this act of temporary insanity worked perfectly. The gem glowed in contact with her face and the effects of the allergy were whisked away. Erk helped the girl to her feet, apologising repeatedly. Perhaps it was fate that such a stroke of luck took place. Perhaps not.

-----

Lyndis groaned and pulled herself to her feet, only to have a hand shoved over her mouth. She would have panicked if the glove had not belonged to an armed assassin with blue eyes and a green cloak. After the recognition of her captor's identity, Lyn would have assaulted him if a cranky wyvern of a headache hadn't smacked her solidly in the face.

The Sacaen crawled to a kneeling position, shivering. It was windy, and the stone parapet she was kneeling on didn't offer much warmth. The assassin beside her glanced at Lyn's fierce shivering, and quickly took his cloak and gloves off, wrapping it around Lyn and taking her hands in his, rubbing them to get the blood pumping and the warmth started. The Sacaen pulled the cloak tightly around her and threw the gloves on, curious at the sudden kindness.

"Thank you," she said quietly. X smiled gently.

"Don't worry about it. I can't have you freezing, can I?" X replied, looking over the battlements. Lyn sufficed her immediate curiosity by peering over the ledge and down into a frosty courtyard. Five people were standing there, clearly in some form of meeting; two women and three men. One of the men was a battle-scarred Warrior, standing beside a pale, raven-haired woman. The other two men were almost the same height, and clearly related. Lyndis guessed they were brothers. Finally, there was a blue-haired woman in some form of ornamental purple armour. The pale woman looked around.

"Ursula, the Blue Crow. Lloyd, the White Wolf. Linus, the Rabid Hound. Thank you for coming," she said. Lyndis could hear her voice carried clear on the wind. "If I have the Four Fangs together, then I have the strongest fighting force in the world." One of the brothers, the taller one with broader shoulders and a shaven face, scoffed.

"We would be if four of us were here," He said rudely. "Where is Jaffar?" The pale woman was irked, enough so that Lyndis could sense it.

"What a shock, the typical lack of manners from the Rabid Hound. How charming, Linus," said the pale woman crossly. Linus growled.

"You-"

"Linus," said his brother sharply. The pale woman smirked, victorious.

"If only you had a smidgeon of your brother's discipline. As for your earlier question, Jaffar is here, of course, simply out of sight. I believe he is securing this location," she said. Lyn glanced sharply at X, who shook his head.

"We're fine," he whispered. "He won't find us here." True to his word, Lyndis noted an assassin in black descend from a staircase and take his place among the congregation. It took a moment, possibly due to the wind, for the sight of him to jog her memory, but she soon remembered where she had seen him. X watched her for a reaction, and glared at her, making sure the message was clear: if she attempted to kill Jaffar, X would have to protect her, and then they would both die anyway. Lyn stared at X, who was watching the processions below.

"X, where _are_ we?" Lyn whispered, blending her voice with the sound of the wind.

"Bern."

"How in the name of Father Sky did we manage to get from Badon to Bern in one day?!"

"Secret."

"And who are these people?"

"The Four Fangs. The four most skilled members of the Black Fang, gathered here to accept an assignment from Sonia."

"Sonia?" Lyn asked. X pointed to the pale woman, who was speaking again.

"I need you to eliminate a man whose existence plagues me. His name is Eliwood, a noble of Pherae," Sonia said. "Now Pherae, as you know, is located in Lycia, therefore you see the danger in not eliminating him quietly. He has friends. Other Lycian lords. Individually, they are no match for the four of you, yet they have managed to cheat the hand of the Fang for an annoyingly long time. Carelessness when dealing with this matter will see you dead, no matter how skilled you are." Lyn glanced at X, who was watching the proceedings.

"They're going to-" she began, but X cut her off with a movement of his hand. Lyndis could not jeopardise their hiding place or they would both wind up deceased.

"This work is for the brother's Reed as well, alright?" Sonia finished. Lloyd stood a little straighter.

"One question. Are these our father's ord-" he cut himself off. "I mean, are these the orders of the head of the Black Fang?" Sonia smirked.

"Of course," She cooed, gently nudging the Warrior's side. The battle-scarred man grunted before mumbling some barely-conceivable sound in the affirmative. Sonia nodded.

"Are you satisfied? Your orders come from the legitimate head of the Black Fang. As members of this group, you will carry out this order," she said. "Or, does your opponent frighten you into immobility, Lloyd?" Linus started forward.

"Sonia! How dare you speak to-"

"Linus!" barked Lloyd. The Rabid Hound backed down. Lyn watched the affair from her place high above, and she knew that those around Lloyd respected him immensely. The White Wolf was calm, quite attractive, and by his build and gait Lyn knew he could handle himself in a duel with multiple opponents. The Sacaen watched him carefully, her curiosity getting the better of herself.

X did a double-take. Lyndis was nearly standing up! The princess was in plain sight!

"Lyn! Get down!!" X hissed. Lyn didn't look at the assassin, keeping her attention on Lloyd.

The White Wolf ignored his brother's apology, glancing around him. He could feel someone watching him-

He glanced up, on a whim, and locked his gaze with a beautiful Sacaen woman. Her hair was long and green, and despite her soft beauty Lloyd could feel a warrior's spirit shining through her emerald eyes.

X surveyed the scene, unnoticed by the Four Fangs, cursing. Lyn had to go and make goo-goo eyes at Lloyd and break their cover. You'd think she hadn't lost a lover less than four days ago.

"This meeting is no longer private," Lloyd uttered, turning to the Fangs. Sonia was swift to locate Lyndis.

"An intruder is here?" She said, before espying Lyndis. "There! The wench must have heard everything! Kill her immediately!" Ursula began to cast a spell, while Jaffar vanished behind a stone statue. Lyndis stumbled away from the stone wall and ran along the perimetre, while X crouched by the wall. He couldn't let Lyn die! If only the girl hadn't forced his hand!

"Lyndis, run!" X bellowed, jumping the stone parapet and landing hard a story below them, in the midst of the Four Fangs. Lloyd and Linus drew their swords, starting towards the assassin before hesitating. X made no attempt to hide his face, allowing his identity to be known and his azure blue eyes to sparkle.

"Well, hi," He said, drawing his sword. Lloyd took a long second to rub his eyes, making sure his senses weren't lying to him. When he moved his hand, the teenager was still standing there.

"You haven't aged a day," said Lloyd, apprehensive. X shrugged.

"I've noticed. It comes with the job, I guess," X said, before smartly side-stepping to avoid a Thunder spell conjured by Ursula. X took careful steps, angling the Four Fangs and Brendan and Sonia so they were facing him.

"You are under arrest for the Patran Massacre. You will be allowed your Day of Remorse before your execution. Will you come quietly?" Brendan asked, gripping his axe. X growled; low, inhuman, like a pit bull, and the light in his eyes changed to a malevolent darkness.

Lyn took advantage of the confusion to sneak along the edge of the wall and drop to the ground, wincing as she twisted her ankle. It was a drop of over two stories, and Lyn started to hobble away as fast as she could, not knowing where she was going. Her only hope was that she wouldn't be caught and killed. Looking forward, Lyn could only see white snow for miles. The Sacaen glanced once back at the fortress, in time to hear a shout:

"Bring him down, on the Black Fang's honour!"

-----

Hector walked into the throne room, sitting on a bench beside Eliwood. Kaira was leaning against the wall, happier to stand than sit; her behind was still sore from the horse ride. Oswin was standing in the middle of the room, and Ninian and Nils waited outside, quietly chatting.

"I've had word from my brother," Hector told Eliwood. "He's on his way here. We're to wait for him." Eliwood grinned.

"And I'm guessing that he'll have a few choice words to say to you before we get down to business?" Hector grinned sheepishly.

"Look, it's not my fault I haven't been in contact! Kaira's been dragging us around the islands like merchants on holiday!" The tactician put her hands up.

"No way are you pinning this on me. There were plenty of times when you could have sent a message back to Ostia and told your brother where we were. You can put the blame on Eliwood or yourself," Kaira said, flipping her lavender hair back and batting her eyelashes.

"Besides, I'm just a girl. What did you want _me_ to do?" she said, smiling smugly. Eliwood burst out laughing while Kaira cackled at her own joke. Hector scowled.

"I may not have mentioned this before, but Castle Ostia, and the city itself, are filled with foreign spies that want to scrutinise my brother, trying to see if there is any weakness in the new Marquess," Hector explained, quickly changing the subject. Oswin decided to cut in, adding his own explanation.

"Lord Uther is travelling in secret to meet us, with very few attendants. He's become quite skilled at this sort of thing. There's no need to worry," he said. Kaira smirked.

"How very unorthodox. It must run in the family." Hector started, glaring at the tactician.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing at all. I'm very much looking forward to meeting such an important person," Kaira said innocently, turning the feminine charm on full-throttle, even gently pressing her arms beneath her chest to make it look bigger- not that it needed any help. Kaira snickered. Hector raised an eyebrow at Kaira's bust, but said no more. Eliwood stood up.

"I need to leave for a moment; my Rapier is getting a little dull. I'll be right back," he said.

Ninian stood by her brother in the throne room, watching Lord Eliwood leave. Nils was beside her, and the female dragon turned to her brother.

"Nils, I'm not sure, but-"

"You think something is wrong with you, don't you?" Nils said quietly. Ninian's eyes betrayed serious fear, and she nodded. Nils lowered his gaze.

"Can you control it?" he asked. Ninian shook her head.

"How can I control what's wrong if I don't even know what it is yet?" she whimpered. Nils smiled at his sister and brushed her hand with his.

Immediately he knew it was a mistake. A silver flash of light pierced the space between them, and Nils' eyelids fluttered as he fell to the ground. Ninian started to hyperventilate as more and more quintessence was ripped from her brother's body and fused into her own through her palms. She was gorging herself on the life force of her brother and loving every second of it. Her consciousness screamed for it to stop, but the primal side of her loved it, and it stuffed itself until she broke through the red haze.

"Some-someone help!" she stammered, watching her brother's energy feed itself into her through her palms. "Help me, please!" Ninian stumbled backwards, tripping over her dress and staring at her hands in shock, watching her brother's power feed itself into her. As soon as the sound of footsteps reached her ears, the silver light died as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Ninian feeling bloated and swollen. She stared at her palms in shock, watching them tremble. It had happened so quickly. What did she do?

Ninian immediately hid her hands as Eliwood and his military advisors came running to her side.

"Ninian, are you okay? Nils! What happened to him?" Eliwood said, dropping to his knees.

"I-I don't know. All I did was touch him. I didn't mean for- I- I didn't- I don't know," Ninian said, nearly weeping. Eliwood saw the tears of self-pity in her eyes, mistaking them for tears of anxiety.

"We need to move him," said Kaira, with a sidelong glance at Ninian's pocketed hands. "He needs to see a medic-"

"No! Don't move him!" Ninian interrupted, before blushing red. "I-I mean, please don't move him. He should be fine, just- don't touch him. One night's rest . . . it should m-make things right." Eliwood paused over Nils' comatose body, before getting to his feet.

"If Ninian says he shouldn't be moved, then we won't move him. I'm sure she has her reasons," Eliwood said magnanimously. Eliwood walked over to Ninian, who recoiled at his approach. The redhead was about to offer select words of comfort when a panting Ostian guard came dashing into the room.

"Sir! A band of mercenaries has broken into the castle!" he said, making an effort to stand to attention. Eliwood sent the Soldier scurrying back to his post, ordering that he muster the defences immediately.

"Nils can't be moved, so we'll face them here! Protect the throne room!" Eliwood shouted, drawing his slim Rapier. "Move out!"

Ninian took advantage of the confusion to run for cover, and she dived into the first dormitory room she found, locking the door twice. She flopped on her back on the bed, staring at her shaking hands. Had she just consumed her brother's soul?

-----

Guy moved to the right of the throne room, his Killing Edge drawn and ready. A door near him was booted open, and several people stormed out. Guy was caught off guard but readied himself to attack when one of the soldiers started yelling.

"Lord Hector! We will serve as your reinforcements," the Soldier yelled. "We are a small group, and we've some mercenaries among us. Rath of Sacae! Take charge of the mercenaries!" Guy followed the Soldier's eyes to a rugged man, sitting atop a plainshorse. There were several quivers of arrows strapped to the horse's side, with an additional quiver on a sling over Rath's shoulder. There was a Short bow in his hand, and fierce green eyes flickered beneath his Sacaen headband.

"Hear me!" the Soldier shouted. "We're here to protect Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector and Lady Kaira!" Guy watched Rath's face, and he saw the glimmer of recognition.

"Kaira," Rath murmured, digging his heels into the horse's ribs and urging it into movement. Guy shrugged and entered a room, leaving the door ajar. Immediately he noticed the two big aspects of the room: one, there was a wall missing, and sunlight was streaming in from the outside. Two, there were several big men with axes charging into the room.

Grinning, Guy twirled his sword and let loose a keen, screeching yell that stopped the Brigands in their tracks. The closest frowned, and his piggish face conveyed an emotion close to confusion.

"Oi," he said. "Are you all right up here?" he asked, tapping his head with his fist. Guy nodded, shrugging.

"Yes. I just always wanted to try that." The Brigand shrugged.

"A'right then." He attacked, with the rest close behind him. Guy ran forward, slashing left and right and killing several men- including the Brigand who questioned his sanity- before the duel even began. An axeman came in from behind; Guy spun and parried the attack, flipping his sword nimbly. Guy stepped in for the kill. To his horror, the Brigand not only evaded his attack but gave Guy a harsh cut along his arm. Guy stumbled backwards, holding his forearm tight to try and slow the loss of blood. The Brigand hefted his odd-looking axe.

"'S called a Swordreaver," he boasted. "'S made ta take out them sword users. Looks ta me likes youse in a bit a trouble!"

Guy bit his lip as the Brigand advanced. His sword arm was losing strength and blood, and the nearest healer was too far away, out of earshot. Desperately, he snatched the vulnerary pouch at his hip and shoved it to his mouth.

It was empty.

Breathing deeply, Guy switched his sword to his left hand and allowed his injured arm to hang limply. His sword felt awkward and heavy in his left hand, but he wouldn't allow his opponent to see it. His life depended on it.

Unfortunately, the Brigand quickly spotted it, and moved in to end Guy's life. Guy swiped clumsily in an effort to protect himself, but the Killing Edge was swept aside-

-When the Brigand found himself staring at the tip of an arrowhead that had punched through his head. Collapsing like a sack of potatoes, Guy looked past the Brigand to see his saviour, Rath, lowering his bow. Rath galloped away before Guy could shout his thanks, and so the Sacaen swordsman stumbled away to find Priscilla, still holding his bleeding arm.

-----

Heath carefully guided his wyvern inside the hallway, his helmet hampering his vision. The wyvern was hesitant to go inside, and its feelings mirrored that of its rider's. Once inside, they would be unable to fly, and wyverns didn't move well on their feet with their riders still on top. Heath bit his lip beneath his helmet and nudged the wyvern inside the fortress, cutting down an enemy Knight in his path. Once inside, Heath surveyed the battle scene, trying to find out which warrior- or possibly a female warrior- was their leader. The Bernian native was not going to cut down women and children. It wasn't even an option for him. Despite being on the run for rebelling against Ostia and being a fugitive from Bern, Heath still considered himself a knight. Knights had values. They were supposed to be honourable.

Heath soon confronted an axe-wielding man in blue armour, his blue hair ruffled and armour stained with blood. Heath opened his mouth to speak, but Hector swung his axe at the wyvern rider. Heath quickly blocked it with his lance and pushed the mighty weapon aside. The wyvern itself snapped angrily at Hector, but Heath smacked the beast on the head and turned his visored attention to Hector. The blue-armoured Lord was in an offensive battle stance, ready for the slightest provocation to attack.

"Hold! I've not come to fight!" Heath yelled, pulling his helmet off and tossing it aside. Hector growled.

"Are you on their side?" the Ostian asked. Heath paused, unsure how to explain.

"Well, yes, but I don't . . ." Hector sighed, already bored with the conversation.

"Then you're my enemy! Quit trying to prolong things and fight!" he yelled, swinging the axe and cutting brutally into Heath's side. Heath yelled and toppled from his wyvern, which clawed at Hector. The Ostian jumped back, preparing to swing his Wolf Beil and behead the wyvern when Heath banged his lance against the wyvern's leg.

"Bad Hyperion!" Heath yelled, pulling himself up and dropping his lance. The injured Bernian now stood before Hector, unarmed.

"I'm opposed to the slaughter of women and children. Please. Allow me to join your side," Heath said, still bleeding from his axe wound. Hector paused, searching Heath's eyes.

"Fine. Get up, and get back on your beast. I'll inform the others of your allegiance. Now excuse me," Hector snarled. "There's a paladin on your- their- side that's giving us some trouble." Heath didn't even hesitate to respond.

"Commander Eubans. He's famed among mercenary circles. You'll not take him down easily," Heath warned. Hector rolled his eyes.

"That's really helpful. Instead of telling me his credentials, how about helping me kill him?" Hector said sarcastically, whirling around and storming out of the room. Heath moved Hyperion forward, blocking Hector's exit.

"I'll take him down. I won't risk my new commander dying," Heath said, kicking Hyperion beneath the wing joints. Hyperion huffed, irritated, but moved into a loping pace, snapping at any mercenary in its way. Hector scoffed, running after the newest addition to their army.

"You're stupid enough to try this yourself?!"

-----

IceBlade28: Well, I think that's where we'll leave it for this chapter. What did you all think?

Serra: This chapter didn't have me in it! _Again!_

IceBlade28: So? What do I care? Wait, why are you still here?

Serra: Because I'm your muse, I don't care what anyone else says! You must be under a spell, or temporary insanity, because simply basking in my beautiful presence is enough to drive even the simplest simpleton to words of mastery.

IceBlade28: Actually . . . that wasn't bad. That was very nice.

Serra: Thank you. You've finally come around.

IceBlade28: I think I have, actually. But I'll keep Priscilla around anyway.

Priscilla: You're very kind, Taylor.

IceBlade28: No worries, Priscilla. How's your head?

Priscilla: I'm okay. Can I tell them about the next chapter?

Serra: I want to tell them!

IceBlade28: Serra, you've done it many times before. Let Priscilla do it for once.

Serra: Oh, alright.

Priscilla: Okay. I'll give it a shot. Next time, on Person's Unknown . . .

-----

Eubans looked around, snarling. His mercenaries were falling like cut wheat. Where was the skilled crew of mercenaries he had trained with? Still, he wouldn't be beaten. He lived and breathed the air of war. He would not die!

Eubans reared up on his horse and swept his weapon down, slashing the torso of a Knight who had strayed too close. The horse's hooves bounced off the breastplate, and the Knight turned to face Eubans, angered.

"You've bitten off more than you can chew with me, laddie," the Knight yelled. Eubans scoffed.

"And who might you be?" he yelled, shifting his horse to an attacking posture.

"I am Oswin, guardian of Lord Hector," the Knight said. "And you will not live beyond today." Eubans laughed.

"We'll see about that!" Eubans said before feinting and burying the point of his weapon into Oswin's stomach.

-----

Uther frowned, looking darkly at Ninian. The dragon girl trembled.

"Do you know where Nergal is at this very moment?" Ninian screwed up her face, concentrating.

"Yes, I can sense him. He is in the east . . . very far in the east. It's difficult to sense him." Kaira looked at Uther, paling.

"East. Nergal's going after Bern. If he ensnares the royal family and convinces them to go to war, we're done for."

"No. Nergal is still very weak . . . if we are to act, we must do it soon, if not now," Ninian interjected. Uther nodded.

"In that case, make your destination Missur."

"Missur?! That's in the other direction!" Hector said. Uther nodded.

"You will require aid. Go and meet the living legend."

-----

Florina sat on her bed in the fort, quietly crying. Lyn had been gone for days, and she really missed her friend. More, the dreams had taken a turn for the worse, and Florina had had frequent meetings with X. Not that it was a bad thing, quite the reverse. X was almost charming in her premonitions, and Florina still didn't trust him.

Florina looked up as her door clicked, and her sister Fiora entered the room. The elder sister sat beside Florina, and put an arm around her.

"Florina, you've been crying for hours. I know Kent died recently, and I know you're missing Lyn; we're all worried about her, but for Elimine's sake you have to get some sleep! You'll ruin your health otherwise," Fiora said. Florina shook her head.

"I-I-I-I'm scared to sleep . . . I'm so afraid, I don't want to sleep, I don't want to go through it again," Florina whimpered. Fiora frowned.

"Florina . . . what don't you want to go through again?" Florina hung her head. The visions and meetings of Kent had been brutal enough on her emotional health, but-

Florina froze. Fiora had loved Kent. Fiora loved Kent just like Lyn loved Kent. And Florina could talk to the deceased in her dreams . . .

Florina took a quavering breath. It was time to tell Fiora about her premonitions.

-----

Lyn stumbled down the slope, shivering violently. Her cloak was soaked through and her gloves were wet rags, both from sweat and melted snow. She had been walking through the snow for hours and all she could see was more snow. Lyn knew she was deep in the Bern Mountains but she had no idea of the geography or the topography of Bern. She didn't know if she was going higher, but the air seemed to be getting thinner.

Lyn dropped to her knees before pulling herself back up. She couldn't allow herself to stop. She had to keep going, she couldn't stop, couldn't rest . . .

The Sacaen woman collapsed, flopping face first into a snow drift. She just needed a moment to gather her breath. A moment to sleep and she could be on her way . . .

She felt warm hands grab her body and pull her up, and a warm body impacted against hers. Lyn felt her head droop onto the person's shoulders, and she nuzzled the person's neck. She had no idea who it was, but it was a person with a pulse, and that was all she needed.

"Lyn," the person said softly. "Lyn, wake up. You can't sleep. Stay with me." Lyn opened her eyes, frost dangling from her long lashes, to see the identity of the person that had saved her life.

"X . . . how . . . how did-?" The assassin hugged her closer, combining their body heat.

"I'll tell you when we survive."

-----

Priscilla: Tune in next time for Chapter XXIV: The Icy Blossom

Serra: You still didn't do it as well as I could have.

Priscilla: It's my first time. What do you expect? Besides, that was lots of fun! I'd love the opportunity to do that more often!

IceBlade28: You'll have plenty of opportunity. Unless things get too out of control, I'll keep hold of you as my muse.

Serra: But I'm your muse!

IceBlade28: Is there any law that says a guy can't have two muses?

Serra: Well, no, but-

IceBlade28: Then I'm keeping you both as my muses. Now shoosh.

Priscilla: That's very sweet of you. Please, readers, leave a review. Vote for your favourite muse and, of course, tell Taylor what you thought of the chapter!!

Serra: Thank you for reading!


	24. Chapter XXIV: The Icy Blossom

IceBlade28: I'm back again! Inspiration has been good, and it's a New Year, and Person's Unknown is up and roaring! Serra!

Serra: Yessir!

IceBlade28: Commence the review of the previous chapter!

Serra: Yessir- wait, why am I taking orders from you?

IceBlade28: Because if you don't I'll write a wedding for Priscilla and Erk into a future chapter.

Priscilla: I'm fine with that!

Serra: Shut up!

Previously on Person's Unknown . . .

-----

Kaira glanced at the bodies and faces of each person as she passed them, double checking. No-one fit the bill of a green haired Sacaen girl. It was definite, then: Lyndis was not with them.

Which left the obvious question to be asked: if she wasn't here, then where was she?

-----

The redheaded lord was condemningly quiet, and when he finally spoke he chose his words carefully.

"Kaira, I don't care about any previous mistakes that you've made, as long as you've learned from them. I chose you to be my tactician for a reason: you're smart, intuitive, young, and you've had experience, both good and bad. Look at what you've done so far- not a single person has died under your command. You've given us a bloodless campaign so far, and if this X person wasn't screwing things up for us, you'd be an angel sent from Saint Elimine herself. I have faith in you, and I know you won't let me down. You have the trust of the army behind you, and you're too darn good of a tactical officer to screw up needlessly. I'm proud of you," Eliwood finished.

"That's what I'm scared of," Kaira whispered, and her words were lost amidst the drumming of hooves against the ground.

-----

"Erk, when I look at this mushroom I think I remember something, but I don't know what. Did I use to like mushrooms?" she wondered. The mage pinched the bridge of his nose until he caught sight of the fungus.

"What? Lady Priscilla, no, you're-" He began, only to watch Priscilla toss the mushroom into her mouth and chew inquisitorially. Her face puckered and the chewed-up remains of the mushroom were spat onto the grass.

"I don't think I liked mushrooms," Priscilla said, clawing at her tongue in an effort to get the remnants off. Erk rushed to her side.

"Lady Priscilla, you didn't like them because you're allergic to mushrooms!"

-----

The Sacaen pulled the cloak tightly around her and threw the gloves on, curious at the sudden kindness.

"Thank you," she said quietly. X smiled gently.

"Don't worry about it. I can't have you freezing, can I?" X replied, looking over the battlements. . . .

"This meeting is no longer private," Lloyd uttered, turning to the Fangs. Sonia was swift to locate Lyndis.

"An intruder is here?" She said, before espying Lyndis. "There! The wench must have heard everything! Kill her immediately!" Ursula began to cast a spell, while Jaffar vanished behind a stone statue. Lyndis stumbled away from the stone wall and ran along the perimetre, while X crouched by the wall. He couldn't let Lyn die! If only the girl hadn't forced his hand!

"Lyndis, run!" X bellowed, jumping the stone parapet and landing hard a story below them, in the midst of the Four Fangs. Lloyd and Linus drew their swords, starting towards the assassin before hesitating. Lloyd took a long second to rub his eyes, making sure his senses weren't lying to him. When he moved his hand, the teenager was still standing there.

"You haven't aged a day," said Lloyd, apprehensive.

-----

"I've had word from my brother," Hector told Eliwood. "He's on his way here. We're to wait for him." Eliwood grinned.

"And I'm guessing that he'll have a few choice words to say to you before we get down to business?" Hector grinned sheepishly.

"Look, it's not my fault I haven't been in contact! Kaira's been dragging us around the islands like merchants on holiday!" The tactician put her hands up.

"No way are you pinning this on me. There were plenty of times when you could have sent a message back to Ostia and told your brother where we were. You can put the blame on Eliwood or yourself," Kaira said, flipping her lavender hair back and batting her eyelashes.

"Besides, I'm just a girl. What did you want _me_ to do?" she said, smiling smugly.

-----

Ninian took advantage of the confusion to run for cover, and she dived into the first dormitory room she found, locking the door twice. She flopped on her back on the bed, staring at her shaking hands. Had she just consumed her brother's soul?

-----

"Lord Hector! We will serve as your reinforcements," the Soldier yelled. "We are a small group, and we've some mercenaries among us. Rath of Sacae! Take charge of the mercenaries!" Guy followed the Soldier's eyes to a rugged man, sitting atop a plainshorse. There were several quivers of arrows strapped to the horse's side, with an additional quiver on a sling over Rath's shoulder. There was a Short bow in his hand, and fierce green eyes flickered beneath his Sacaen headband.

"Hear me!" the Soldier shouted. "We're here to protect Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector and Lady Kaira!" Guy watched Rath's face, and he saw the glimmer of recognition.

"Kaira," Rath murmured, digging his heels into the horse's ribs and urging it into movement. Guy shrugged and entered a room, leaving the door ajar. Immediately he noticed the two big aspects of the room: one, there was a wall missing, and sunlight was streaming in from the outside. Two, there were several big men with axes charging into the room.

-----

The injured Bernian now stood before Hector, unarmed.

"I'm opposed to the slaughter of women and children. Please. Allow me to join your side," Heath said, still bleeding from his axe wound. Hector paused, searching Heath's eyes.

"Fine. Get up, and get back on your beast. I'll inform the others of your allegiance. Now excuse me," Hector snarled. "There's a paladin on your- their- side that's giving us some trouble." Heath didn't even hesitate to respond.

"Commander Eubans. He's famed among mercenary circles. You'll not take him down easily," Heath warned. Hector rolled his eyes.

"That's really helpful. Instead of telling me his credentials, how about helping me kill him?" Hector said sarcastically, whirling around and storming out of the room.

-----

Serra: Wow. We still need to work on condensing this- it's three pages long!

Priscilla: Closer to two and a half, actually.

Serra: Did I ask you?

IceBlade28: Behave.

Serra: No! Why should I have to-

IceBlade28: Wedding.

Serra: . . . (glowers)

IceBlade28: Good cleric.

Priscilla: Let's start the fic- as a side note, reader's may have to refer back to the end of Chapter XVIII briefly.

**Chapter XIV: The Icy Blossom**

Raven wiped the blood off his sword as he dispatched another mercenary, sniffing. These people were supposed to be trained, that's what he'd heard. At the rate he was taking them out, Raven wouldn't have rated them above a pack of mindless mountain men. He wasn't even breaking a sweat.

Raven walked over- that's right, walked- to the next mercenary, who had just finished removing his axe from the carcass of an Ostian Knight. Raven blocked a clumsy swipe and slid his blade down the shaft of his enemy's axe, cutting off a few enemy fingers. His chosen foe screamed before an arrow skimmed Raven's ear and put an end to the bandit's fingerless misery.

Raven placed two fingers to the top of his ear and brought them away. They were bloody. Whoever had fired that arrow had made a very close shot. He gritted his teeth, resolving to speak harshly with whoever was stupid enough to try that. As it was, there was only one archer left in the army- still, his words died quickly when Rebecca strode jauntily past and knelt on top of the dead mercenary, trying to fish the arrow out.

"That was my kill," Raven said darkly.

"I didn't see your name on it," said Rebecca.

"You saw me fighting him."

"Yes, and I helped you out. I thought you might be grateful for a little assistance!"

"He had no fingers left. I was about to kill him anyway," Raven said stubbornly. Rebecca worked the arrowhead out with a snapping sound and placed the arrow back in her quiver.

"Or maybe you just don't know how to say thank you," she said, raising an eyebrow. Raven raised an eyebrow in reply, stepping forward.

"I know how to say two words!" Raven snapped. Rebecca smirked, uncaring of the fact they were in the middle of a battle.

"Then say them. Or has the girl got your tongue?" she asked. Raven scowled.

"I'll say them when they need to be said, and when your aim improves," he said, walking away from the corpse. Rebecca pursued, angry.

"Are you crazy?! That was an incredible shot!" she said hotly. Raven scooped a palm full of hair and blood away from his ear and showed it to Rebecca.

"A little too 'incredible', I think," said Raven, dumping it on the ground and walking away. Rebecca stared at the stained auburn strands for a moment before biting her lip. Maybe she had cut it a little close with that shot. Maybe she should apologise.

-Wait. Why was _she_ the one that should apologise for helping _him_?!

Rebecca was about to plant an arrow square between Raven's shoulders when she noticed him about to engage a second enemy. The archeress grinned. If he'd say thank you when her aim improved, then he shouldn't have any problem with her practicing her aim. Reaching into her quiver to pull out a second arrow, Rebecca pulled her bow tight and aimed the shaft. Raven was almost directly blocking the enemy; Rebecca let her bowstring slacken before taking off at a brisk run.

Raven locked his sword against the axe blade of his enemy. He was about to dispatch him when a flash of green in his peripheral vision sparked his attention. Rebecca was sprinting full-speed along the wall when she jumped, stepping briefly on the wall before yanking the bowstring tight, firing the arrow and cart-wheeling off the brickwork in one fluid motion. Rebecca landed in a crouched position as the arrow took Raven's foe square through the head.

Rebecca stood up, grinning from ear to ear and darn ready for Raven to dish out the 'thank you' she was owed. Raven paused for a moment before he stabbed his dead enemy.

"Well, that's another kill for me." said Raven. Rebecca was gobsmacked.

"What the- after everything I did?!" she screeched.

"He was twitching." Raven said smugly.

"He was not!

"Yes he was."

"Was not!"

"I can't turn back time. He was twitching. That means he was my kill. Sorry." Rebecca seethed, before trying another tactic.

"You can't deny I haven't improved my aim, though- so you have to say thank you!" Rebecca said, smiling. Raven didn't smile back.

"No, I don't. The moment's past. There's nothing to say thank you for." Rebecca's heart sank. Why was the guy she liked so determined to shake her off? All she was trying to do was help . . .

"After all, why would I _say_ thank you . . ." said Raven quietly. ". . . when I can show it?" With that, he grabbed Rebecca's hand and kissed it once before moving up to her lips. Rebecca kissed back, before breaking off.

"Maybe we should wait until after the battle is over. I'm very happy to continue this 'conversation' once we're done fighting, though," said Rebecca, turning and walking away, making sure to sway her hips a little more than usual. Raven was left stuttering next to the corpse, the second time in as many weeks.

Raven watched the attractive archer leave, checking her out as she walked away and still mumbling under his breath. Anyone who saw him would have seen the lovesick look in his eyes. Raven tightened his grip on the sword. How could that insufferable, irresistible archeress have him under her spell?! He wasn't supposed to fall in love! Only fools fell in love!

Roaring, the mercenary spun and gutted an enemy that was sneaking up behind. Still angry, Raven went to town on the poor sucker that had approached him from behind.

Rebecca watched her lover from a distance. She figured she'd left enough of a message: round one to her.

Let the games continue.

-----

In the centre of the fortress' hall was a grand sight. The bodies of several unknown men, both Ostian and mercenaries, and two enemies left: a wyvern knight with a particularly vicious steed, and a paladin who had killed every opponent in reach. The wyvern knight jigged right to dodge a Fire spell, and the sudden movement knocked the rider from his seat. Once free, the wyvern dove upon the screaming rider, snarling.

The rider covered his face with his arms in an attempt to shield himself from his savage mount; his cries soon turned to gargles as his armour and flesh were stripped away bite by bite. The rider reached a hand up in trembling desperation only to have it bitten off by his wyvern, who quickly consumed the rest of his arm before digging back into his body with a growl. Eubans watched the spectacle briefly before sighing. He'd told Brethtrat to be kinder to his wyvern many times, and that a wild wyvern wasn't one worth riding. It didn't look like Eubans would have to say that anymore. The enraged wyvern, still with a mouthful of Brethtrat, looked around for its next meal. Spotting an aqua-haired Pegasus rider, the wyvern pounced and knocked the small girl off her mount.

Fiora convulsed, crying, pressing herself against the slick tiles as the wyvern settled over her. The wyvern lowered its head, drool and blood slipping down to tickle Fiora's cheek. Her Pegasus galloped over to save its rider when a kick from the clawed leg of the wyvern sent the Pegasus sprawling and bleeding.

"Murphy!" Fiora yelled, drawing the wyvern's attention back to its next meal. Licking its slick teeth, the wyvern shrieked as it drew its head back for its first taste of young female Pegasus rider. Struggling against the wyvern's crushing embrace, Fiora looked to her side and blinked.

Kent was holding his sword and clearly furious as he plunged it into the side of the wyvern. The animal roared, rearing up on its hind legs. Fiora scrambled out from beneath the animal, holding her cracked ribs and blinking. The Crimson Shield cut the wyvern again and again, finally burying his sword in the creature's ribs. Kent stared at her before fading in a mist of red smoke. The sword had slipped away as well, vanishing like a saving weapon of phantasmagorical origin. A Deus Ex Machina save from beyond the grave.

Fiora shook her head. Had Kent really slain that wyvern? Was it some kind of near-death hallucination?

The paladin named Eubans hefted his spear and took aim at Fiora. The wyvern hadn't killed her so he'd finish her off. Eubans would have completed the strike too, if he hadn't looked around to realise he was the sole mercenary left. The hall was filled with dead bodies and enemies.

Eubans looked around, snarling. His mercenaries were falling like cut wheat. Where was the skilled crew of mercenaries he had trained with? Still, he wouldn't be beaten. He lived and breathed the air of war. He would not die!

Eubans reared up on his horse and swept his weapon down, slashing the torso of a Knight who had strayed too close. The horse's hooves bounced off the breastplate, and the Knight turned to face Eubans, angered.

"You've bitten off more than you can chew with me, laddie," the Knight yelled. Eubans scoffed.

"And who might you be?" he yelled, shifting his horse to an attacking posture.

"I am Oswin, guardian of Lord Hector," the Knight said. "And you will not live beyond today." Eubans laughed.

"We'll see about that!" Eubans said before feinting and burying the point of his weapon into Oswin's stomach. The Knight didn't take time to blink. Oswin wrapped a mighty gauntlet around the shaft and snapped the weapon in half, twirling the lethal spike and his own lance and lunging. The broken shaft went through Eubans' arm; he didn't have to worry long about the pain since Oswin's lance took him through the neck. Still holding his lance, Oswin dragged Eubans to the ground and placed an armoured foot on top, dragging the lance out with a sick slipping sound. The entire kill took slightly less than five seconds.

Hector arrived on the scene, breathless but ready to do battle. It didn't take long for him to see the foot and a half of lance that was sticking out of Oswin's stomach.

"Oswin! You're injured!" He yelled. Oswin laughed before yanking the weapon out of his stomach.

"It nearly tickled the chain mail when it went through the breastplate. It's darn good steel for a mercenary weapon," explained Oswin, before booming with laughter.

The battle was won.

-----

Lyn stumbled down the slope, shivering violently. Her cloak was soaked through and her gloves were wet rags, both from sweat and melted snow. She had been walking through the snow for hours and all she could see was more snow. Lyn knew she was deep in the Bern Mountains but she had no idea of the geography or the topography of Bern. She didn't know if she was going higher, but the air seemed to be getting thinner.

Lyn dropped to her knees before pulling herself back up. She couldn't allow herself to stop. She had to keep going, she couldn't stop, couldn't rest . . .

The Sacaen woman collapsed, flopping face first into a snow drift. She just needed a moment to gather her breath. A moment to sleep and she could be on her way . . .

She felt warm hands grab her body and pull her up, and a warm body impacted against hers. Lyn felt her head droop onto the person's shoulders, and she nuzzled the person's neck. She had no idea who it was, but it was a person with a pulse, and that was all she needed.

"Lyn," the person said softly. "Lyn, wake up. You can't sleep. Stay with me." Lyn opened her eyes, frost dangling from her long lashes, to see the identity of the person that had saved her life.

"X . . . how . . . how did-?" The assassin hugged her closer, combining their body heat.

"I'll tell you when we survive."

If Lyn had stayed conscious long enough, she would have realised the irony that she was depending on the boy who killed her lover to preserve her own life. This point is moot, as she slipped into unconsciousness just after X spoke. Above them, dark clouds were gathering and rolling, threatening them with an impending storm.

"Lyn!" barked X, slapping her gently on the cheek. "Lyn! C'mon, stay here, stay with me." The Sacaen had gone limp in X's arms. X exhaled in worry, his breath misting around Lyn's face. Tiny icicles hung from Lyn's eyelashes, and her cheeks were as pale as the snow that surrounded them for miles. The assassin stared at Lyn, gently brushing an ice crystal from her eyebrow. If the situation wasn't so life-threatening, X would have told Lyn that she looked beautiful; a radiant Sacaen snow angel.

X noted a grove of snow-covered trees some way away. Hopefully there was a cabin concealed behind the tree line. Even if there wasn't, the trees would provide good shelter from the wind. Holding Lyndis close to him, X ran for the trees. He stumbled occasionally, and he could feel the wind blowing through him, freezing his bones. They needed shelter or neither would live to see tomorrow.

Bursting through the tree line, X knocked snow from boughs as he ploughed deeper. Incredibly, an old log cabin was located in a clearing in the centre of the grove. It was in disrepair and most likely abandoned, but it would provide the best shelter anywhere in reach. X booted open the door, and with Lyn unconscious in his arms they looked like a happy couple on their honeymoon. X ran into the living room where an old rug still lay on the floor. An old sofa was still there, and an ashy fireplace sat nearby. A pile of blankets sat unused in the corner. More than likely the cabin had been used for a rich couple to have a holiday in the mountains. Whatever the reason, X was grateful for it.

The assassin quickly lowered Lyn onto the rug and wrapped it tight around her, flinging blankets on top of her and placing her on the couch. X draped a blanket around him and rubbed Lyn's hands to get the circulation going; the Sacaen wasn't out of danger yet. Running back to the door, X shut it and stuffed a blanket at the crack near the bottom, blocking any wind that might creep in. Dashing around the house, X stuffed blankets into any opening he could find in order to insulate the cabin. The storm was coming at them far too fast, and there was no time to try and get out of the mountains. They would weather the storm in the cabin.

Satisfied with his work, X ran outside for a moment. Grabbing tree branch after tree branch and snapping them off, X ran inside the cabin to dump the branches into the fireplace. After creating a sizeable pile of wood in the hearth, X dragged a large log inside to serve as an additional stock for firewood.

The wind was picking up speed. The assassin glanced at the skies. The clouds were bellowing, and thunder was starting to rumble. X closed the door warily, as though the striking hand of Elimine herself might reach down and smite him. It would be a long, hard night, and he could only hope the cabin was sturdy enough for them to survive the storm that was upon them.

Some hours later, the fire was roaring and the room had heated up considerably. Lyndis was conscious, and she'd placed the rug back on the floor. She was now sitting on the couch glaring dull hatred at the only other occupant of the room. X was sitting on the rug on the floor, allowing the lady to have the couch, as was polite.

"I realise you hate me because I killed Kent," said X, knowing the topic would surface sooner or later. "I wish I could undo what I did. I was a different person back then, and I know my apology won't bring him back but-"

"Why did you kill him?" whispered Lyn, still staring at the assassin. X felt his heart sink.

"There was something in me that I couldn't control," X said. "A malignant force that was grafted into me and it was that force that drove me to kill Kent, and to hang Serra." Lyn scoffed, disbelieving until X reached into a pocket and pulled out a jade gem. It was far different to any precious stone; there was a shadow swirling within. An air of malice hung around the gem, and X quickly pocketed the stone.

"It's a parting gift from my father," he said. Lyn shifted on the couch and placed a hand to her head; she had a killer migraine.

"How long was I unconscious?" she asked. X shrugged.

"About three hours. It's hard to tell with the storm outside," he said. "I carried you to the cabin, closed every door and lit the fire." Lyndis shuddered violently, having been struck with a horrendous thought. She'd been unconscious for three hours with a murderer. He could have done anything to her. Molested her. Lyn refused to think any deeper about the matter.

"Did you- to me- did you . . ." Lyn began, but she couldn't say the word. X finally clicked onto what Lyn was implying and reeled backward.

"Lyndis! I would never!" he said, shocked.

"Of course not. You only kill people," she sneered. X rose to his feet, and the solemn look on his face made her anger fade away.

"There are some things in life that should never be taken. They should only be given," said X. "Please. I won't ask for your forgiveness, but I will ask for your respect. I would never take that from you." Lyn nodded, finally understanding. There was a question that was straining at her tongue, and she let it loose

"X, you promised me you'd tell me who you are. I feel like I know you. I've kissed you. I- I'm so sick of mystery and intrigue. Please . . . who are you?" begged Lyn. X took a deep breath, sitting beside Lyn and sighing.

"Think back. Try and remember every time you've seen me, or talked to me, or-" the assassin paused, smirking. "Or every time we've kissed. Just relax, and remember. Then we'll start with the obvious, okay?" Lyn looked uncomfortable, and X shifted off the sofa onto his knees, guiding Lyn back into a lying position.

"Relax," he said softly. "Meditate for a moment, and the obvious will come." Lyn closed her eyes, thinking of her interactions with the assassin. His charm, his appearances in Florina's dreams, his anomalous soul . . . the tender touch of his lips against hers; every memory flooded her mind. The Sacaen princess had to think of the obvious . . . and then it came to her. Lyn bit her lip, knowing the question that came to mind wasn't the sanest she could ask. But she had to ask.

-----

The battle was won, and the commanders of the army- minus Lyndis- had congregated in the throne room. The warriors had retired to their temporary quarters, and Florina had retreated to her room as well. The Ilian sat on her bed in the fort, quietly crying. Lyn had been gone for days, and she really missed her friend. More, the dreams had taken a turn for the worse, and Florina had had frequent meetings with X. Not that it was a bad thing, quite the reverse. X was almost charming in her premonitions, and Florina still didn't trust him.

Florina looked up as her door clicked, and her sister Fiora entered the room. The elder sister sat beside Florina, and put an arm around her.

"Florina, you've been crying for hours. I know Kent died recently, and I know you're missing Lyn; we're all worried about her, but for Elimine's sake you have to get some sleep! You'll ruin your health otherwise," Fiora said. Florina shook her head.

"I-I-I-I'm scared to sleep . . . I'm so afraid, I don't want to sleep, I don't want to go through it again," Florina whimpered. Fiora frowned.

"Florina . . . what don't you want to go through again?" Florina hung her head. The visions and meetings of Kent had been brutal enough on her emotional health, but-

Florina froze. Fiora had loved Kent. Fiora loved Kent just like Lyn loved Kent. And Florina could talk to the deceased in her dreams . . .

Florina took a quavering breath. It was time to tell Fiora about her premonitions.

"Sister . . . I know I should've told you earlier. I . . . well, this is going to sound crazy," giggled Florina, dizzy from crying so hard. "But from before we found you, from the first moment I met X . . . I've been having these dreams."

"They're just dreams, sister," Fiora cooed. "They don't mean anything."

"They do when they come true," Florina mumbled. "I . . . every time I dream, I see the future, and it happens. Don't you remember? On the Dread Isle? I knew about Hanasu before you said anything. And the arrow?" Fiora bit her lip. Florina had been right both times.

"Florina, it sounds like you've developed some kind of psychic ability, or a seer's gift, or something-" Florina hiccoughed.

"My dreams hurt me," she said. "Every time I see the future, it hurts my heart." Fiora embraced her sister, more for her own comfort than Florina's. Her little sister was touching the ethereal plane, and it was slowly killing her.

"It's not just the future I see . . ." Florina said, looking into her sister's teal eyes. Fiora gazed back, brimming with sisterly concern. Florina took another breath.

"I see dead people. Everyone in our army that's died- Dorcas, Wil, Leila . . . I see them in my dreams. I talk to them. I- I see Kent." Fiora jerked. Florina had seen Kent every night since he died. Fiora was in love with the Crimson Shield, and she knew she couldn't deny it. She also knew Kent loved Lyndis, who was currently missing. Fiora knew it was selfish for her to ask but she had to.

"Florina, please . . . I'm in love with Kent." Fiora confessed.

"I know. I . . . I've known it since I saw you two together," said Florina. "And I know what you're going to ask me, sister, and I can't do it. Please. Don't make me do it." Fiora began to shake, unsure whether to burst out in tears or- incredibly- to slap her younger sister.

"So you'll deliver messages for Lyndis but not for your own sister?!" she choked. Florina was already in tears, though not of sorrow- for the first time in her life, she was angry at her sibling.

"_No! I didn't do it for her and I won't do it for you! They're my dreams and I just want them to stop!_" Florina screamed, throwing herself out of Fiora's arms and into her pillow, sobbing.

"I see X too . . ." she mumbled into the pillow. Fiora seethed. No matter how, she would find a way to communicate with Kent and to strike back at X.

Even if it meant killing herself to reach them.

-----

Uther walked into the throne room, his green cape fluttering behind him. Oswin immediately stood to attention, and Eliwood straightened his shoulders besides Kaira. For the first time in her life, Kaira was able to see the new Marquess of Ostia. Uther had a long scar running the length of his left cheek, and despite the haggard lines that crossed his face Kaira could see knowledge radiating from beneath his rough hairdo. Kaira could see the family resemblance between Uther and Hector.

"So, Hector. You're alive after all," said Uther dryly. Hector bit his lip, shooting a glance at Eliwood and Kaira, standing side by side.

"My apologies. I've been a little busy," said Hector. The Marquess shrugged off the apology, knowing it wasn't necessary; instead, he turned to Eliwood.

"I'm truly sorry about your father, Eliwood. Lord Elbert was a good man, and I had the privilege of knowing him personally," he said. Eliwood shook his head.

"No, there's no need for apologies. Nothing could have been done, and there are more important matters at stake. Do you know of a man named Nergal?"

"Only what was reported to me. He appeared a year ago and seized control of Black Fang. Then he ensnared Laus in a plot of rebellion against Ostia. My tacticians haven't been able to find a connection, and frankly neither have I . . ." admitted Uther. Kaira raised an eyebrow to herself, smirking. It looked like one teenage girl was a better tactician than the genii at Palace Ostia.

"Lord Uther, Nergal intends to bring back the dragons that vanished after the Scouring," Eliwood said firmly. Uther gasped.

"What!? Can that be done?"

"Yes. Let me explain . . ." Kaira quietly nudged Hector and pulled him aside, quietly talking to him as Eliwood recounted their expedition to the Dread Isle and back. Hector stooped slightly to hear Kaira's whispering.

"This has even got my brother brooding. He's always been a firm believer in quick decisions, but now he wishes for more time . . . I've never seen him like this before." Kaira nodded.

"We've seen this entire expedition move from a small rebellion to a threat to the entire continent. I don't want to say this, but . . . I might be in over my head here," Kaira whispered back. "Saving a continent by averting a disaster of unprecedented proportions is a little out of my area of expertise." Hector chuckled in spite of the seriousness.

"I suppose, if necessary, we could unite all of Elibe to fight as one nation again, but it would be a return to the time of the Scouring . . . plus, there's no-one on the continent possessing the kind of power or skill as the Legendary Heroes. True, they had weapons more powerful than anything crafted before, but still . . . there's no way," whispered Hector. Kaira's eyes flickered for a moment, and she nodded.

"A united Elibe in war would never move unless they saw dragons in the skies, and by that time it would be too late."

"Then we have to stop the dragons ever being summoned. Nergal has to die," said Hector firmly. Kaira nodded. "We need to tell the Marquess," she said. The tactician and the axeman moved into the throne room, where Uther was waiting for them. Uther's eyes quickly flicked past the two to the shy girl peeping into the throne room. Eliwood saw the girl with crimson eyes.

"Ninian! Please, come in," said Eliwood. The dragon-girl nodded, creeping into the throne room to stand by Kaira; the tactician noticed Ninian was still hiding her hands in her pockets. Uther began to speak, and Kaira turned her attention back to the Marquess.

"Eliwood, Hector, Kaira. I would sooner not place this burden on your shoulders alone. And yet, I can see no other choice before me. Are the three of you determined to act on your resolve?" Kaira nodded, speaking for them all.

"Yes, we are. If we can stop this, then we have no excuse not to." Uther nodded, spotting Ninian.

"Is this the girl we spoke of earlier?" Kaira nodded, gently nudging Ninian forward. The dancer blushed, giving a trembling curtsy.

"It... It's an honour to meet you, Marquess Ostia," she mumbled. Uther smiled, trying to make the dancer feel at ease. The dragon girl trembled.

"Do you know where Nergal is at this very moment?" Ninian screwed up her face, concentrating.

"Yes, I can sense him. He is in the east . . . very far in the east. It's difficult to sense him." Kaira looked at Uther, paling.

"East. Nergal's going after Bern. If he ensnares the royal family and convinces them to go to war, we're done for."

"No. Nergal is still very weak . . . if we are to act, we must do it soon, if not now," Ninian interjected. Uther nodded.

"In that case, make your destination Missur."

"Missur?! That's in the other direction!" Hector said. Uther nodded.

"You will require aid. Go and meet the living legend."

-----

Sain was sitting against the wall, holding a mug of ale. A large keg sat beside him; oddly, none of the army wanted to celebrate after the battle. Sain knew why: with Lyndis missing and several members of the army dead, nobody felt like having a good time, not even with a bloodless battle. Everyone just seemed to- fizzle out. This had been Sain's first fight without his boon companion, and despite surviving Sain still felt the battle was harder. He raised his mug to the horizon and drank deeply. Kent was gone, Lyndis was gone, Wil was gone, even Dorcas was gone. The only person from Caelin left was Florina, and the young girl had retired to her room. Sain couldn't blame her. The young girl was starting to look tighter and tighter wound, like a spring that was about to snap. If she wasn't as phobic of men as she was Sain would have approached her to help comfort her, but she had a sister to do that for her. The Green Lance stared at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set for the night.

Sain glanced to his left to see an unfamiliar face; in fact, Sain had never seen the man before. He had a veritable mane of green hair with a silver streak through it, and several scars over his face. He was unarmed, however, so Sain relaxed.

"Who are you?" Sain asked pointedly. Well, maybe not so relaxed.

"I'm Heath; newest recruit to the army. I'm serving under Lord Hector," said Heath. "Who are you?" The Green Lance grimaced, staring into his half-empty mug.

"I'm Sain, and I am-" he paused to examine the froth in his ale. "-getting drunk." Heath grimaced.

"Mind if I join you?" Sain patted a place beside him and passed Heath a mug. The Bernian took the mug and sat gratefully next to Sain, dipping it into the keg and taking a drink of ale.

"So, besides the battle, how was your day?" Heath asked, sipping the ale. Sain turned to Heath, raising an eyebrow.

"My best friend is dead, my liege lady has been kidnapped by a homicidal assassin, and the girl I'm falling in love with has her eyes on someone else. You?" Sain said dryly, draining his mug and dipping it in the keg for a refill. Heath finished his mouthful of ale and stared into his mug.

"I'm on the run from an entire country's army, I just killed my commanding officer, and I signed on under the direct allegiance of the leader of my country's political enemy," said Heath, drinking deep. Sain grinned.

"You win," he said. Heath nodded.

"Yup," he said, drinking his mug dry and taking another dip. Sain examined the setting sun, holding his mug.

"So, Heath," Sain said. "What kind of soldier are you?"

"A good one." Sain chuckled.

"No, I meant what sort of fighter are you? Cavalier? Soldier? Archer?"

"Wyvern rider." The Green Lance raised both eyebrows.

"Really? So you're mount is the one that's been chewing on the Pegasi?" said Sain innocently. Heath choked in mid-swallow, spraying ale over the grass in front of him and cussing. Sain laughed, grabbing the Bernian's arm as he jumped to his feet.

"Relax; I'm just messing with you! I was wondering whose wyvern that was," he said. Heath laughed in return, flopping back into his seat and drinking more ale.

"Yeah, that's my Hyperion. He's friendly until you try and take his food away before he's done. Trust me on that one," said Heath, waggling his pinkie finger at Sain. It was a stub, missing the top knuckle and fingernail.

"I'm lucky that's all he took," laughed the Bernian, swigging another mouthful of ale. "Once we learned to understand each other, Hyperion and I get along fine. He's a great wyvern. I'm sure you have the same bond with your mount," said Sain. The Green Lance grinned back drunkenly.

"Well, we both go after a pretty filly if we spot one!" he said, finishing off his fifth straight glass and going for the sixth. Heath chuckled, sipping contentedly at his ale. Maybe there was a little slice of goodness amidst the cruelty they'd all experienced lately; and to think all they had to do was look into a humble mug of ale.

-----

IceBlade28: I think this should do us nicely for Chapter XIV. It's nice to end on a happy note for once.

Priscilla: I'm intrigued by this new person, Heath. The Sacaen person Rath seems interesting, too. I wonder if I can get him to smile.

Serra: What, so Erk _and_ Guy aren't enough for you?! How much woman do you think you are?!!

IceBlade28: Hey hey hey, cool it!

Serra: Sorry, Taylor.

IceBlade28: I said don't call me- oh, why bother.

Serra: See? You can never stay angry at me.

IceBlade28: Shut up, Serra. But since you've been my muse for so long, I'll let you off. Give the reader's the preview for the next chapter.

Serra: Okay! Readers, we have a _**very**_ special treat for you next chapter: the following instalment of Person's Unknown, in celebration of reaching its 25th chapter, will reveal X's identity! Or, well- part of it, anyway.

Next time on Person's Unknown . . .

-----

Nils stumbled through the thick sand, sweating buckets. The Nabata Desert was taking its toll on everyone, and Nils was finding it harder to keep up with the adults; he was an ice dragon, for crying out loud. He wasn't built to survive this kind of heat, and Eliwood had ordered that the water was to be strictly rationed.

"I'm gonna die," he mumbled to himself, hating how parched he sounded.

"Nils," barked a voice behind him. "Do you need to ride on my shoulders?" The dragon-boy turned around to see Hector striding towards him, incredibly still wearing his bulky blue armour.

"Huh?" Nils babbled, confused. Hector rolled his eyes.

"What? You're surprised that a big lug like me can be nice to a kid?" he said sarcastically. Nils blinked, and his crimson eyes were dazed.

"Huh? Um- no," he mumbled. Hector frowned.

"I won't have you collapsing on us like yesterday. Up you go!" he said firmly, grabbing Nils by his sides and thrusting him over his shoulders. Nils started to cry out from fear and joy, laughing.

"I'm going to fall!" he said, but despite the fear Nils found a childish glee in being carried.

-----

X leaned back on the rug and watched Lyn intently for any reaction. The Sacaen was gobsmacked, and X found that he was worried that Lyn would hate him for what he was. It was so peculiar. He'd never been so concerned that a girl, much less anyone, wouldn't judge him for who he was and what he'd done.

"Now all that's left for you to do is employ me in your charge," said X, surprised at the quaver in his voice. Lyn put a hand to her chest, her mind still reeling.

"I- I know, just . . . give me a moment." X nodded, praying that she wouldn't ask one question.

"X, before I employ you, I need to know something: what was the Patran Massacre?" asked Lyn.

X gritted his teeth. Just perfect.

-----

Pent stared at the creatures before him. They were human, he knew that, but there was no possible way of distinguishing sex. One said he- no, she- was named Paul, and the other said it was named Jasmine. Either way, they wanted the ornamental seal Pent was concealing beneath his cloak.

"Give it to us!" demanded Jasmine. Pent placed a hand over his Elfire tome, well aware of several other bandits beginning to surround him. The scorpions would be picking away at several bodies tonight. Normally Pent went with the medium-to-well-done option when he would cast Elfire, but these bandits looked out for blood. The sage settled with the 'charbroil' option.

"This seal is mine. It took me a long time to find it and I'll not hand it over," Pent said politely, swirling his hand and scorching a nearby brigand into the ground.

-----

Fiora threw herself at the wyvern rider, bleeding from a side wound but uncaring. Her lance plunged into the rider and its mount repeatedly. Fiora's Pegasus screeched as the wyvern took a chunk out of its flank; Fiora stabbed the wyvern again to ensure its death, cursing. Fiora kicked her mount as it started to lag.

"Work with me!" she yelled, ignoring her mount's pain and steering it towards the next foe. Fiora rammed her Pegasus into the wyvern's side. The animal hissed, jerking its head around and lunging at Fiora teeth first. The Ilian gasped and dodged but the wyvern twisted its neck and sunk its teeth into Fiora's thigh, dragging her off her mount.

Fiora screamed as she felt the teeth shred her leg until the wyvern lost its grip. Leaving a large chunk of her leg in the wyvern's jaws Fiora plunged head over heels to the ground-

Until a white and lavender streak blew over the sand dune and caught Fiora a story from the ground. Fiora looked weakly up at her saviour: it was her sister, Florina, who was already crying.

"Fiora, are you insane?!" wept Florina. "Are you trying to kill yourself?!" The injured Ilian bowed her head, bloody and ashamed.

"If that's what it takes to see Kent again," Fiora said, burning with humiliation.

-----

Serra: Well, there's the preview finished!

Priscilla: Wow.

Serra: You see? I can do the previews much better than you!

Priscilla: I have Erk's love.

Serra: You-

IceBlade28: That is enough! Serra, I'm going to have to put you on probation.

Serra: But-

IceBlade28: No buts. Go to some random corner of the fan-verse and think about your attitude.

Serra: Fine.

IceBlade28: And no fanboys!

Serra: Crap-dangit! (vanishes)

Priscilla: Well, we're glad you could come!! Join us next time for Chapter XV: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back!

IceBlade28: Reviews are much appreciated!


	25. Chapter XXV: Two Steps Forward

IceBlade28: It's been a long road, but we've all arrived at one of the biggest milestones of this fanfic

IceBlade28: It's been a long road, but we've all arrived at one of the biggest milestones of this fanfic. Twenty-five chapters, one-hundred and eighty-one reviews, and over ten _thousand_ hits later, here we are. Give yourselves a hand, all of you!

Serra: I'm so proud of you all.

IceBlade28: It's an emotional time, yes, but we won't spoil it with sappiness. We see enough of that in your love life.

Serra: Hey! That was uncalled for!

IceBlade28: Oh shoosh. Priscilla? The review of last chapter, _s'il vous plait._

Priscilla: Of course, Taylor. Will do!

Previously, on Person's Unknown . . .

--

Rebecca stood up, grinning from ear to ear and darn ready for Raven to dish out the 'thank you' she was owed. Raven paused for a moment before he stabbed his dead enemy.

"Well, that's another kill for me." said Raven. Rebecca was gobsmacked.

"What the- after everything I did?!" she screeched.

"He was twitching." Raven said smugly.

"He was not!

"Yes he was."

"Was not!"

--

The Crimson Shield cut the wyvern again and again, finally burying his sword in the creature's ribs. Kent stared at her before fading in a mist of red smoke. The sword had slipped away as well, vanishing like a saving weapon of phantasmagorical origin. A Deus Ex Machina save from beyond the grave.

Fiora shook her head. Had Kent really slain that wyvern? Was it some kind of near-death hallucination?

--

Lyn shifted on the couch and placed a hand to her head; she had a killer migraine.

"How long was I unconscious?" she asked. X shrugged.

"About three hours. It's hard to tell with the storm outside," he said. "I carried you to the cabin, closed every door and lit the fire." Lyndis shuddered violently, having been struck with a horrendous thought. She'd been unconscious for three hours with a murderer. He could have done anything to her. Molested her. Lyn refused to think any deeper about the matter.

"Did you- to me- did you . . ." Lyn began, but she couldn't say the word. X finally clicked onto what Lyn was implying and reeled backward.

"Lyndis! I would never!" he said, shocked.

"Of course not. You only kill people," she sneered.

--

Fiora began to shake, unsure whether to burst out in tears or- incredibly- to slap her younger sister.

"So you'll deliver messages for Lyndis but not for your own sister?!" she choked. Florina was already in tears, though not of sorrow- for the first time in her life, she was angry at her sibling.

"_No! I didn't do it for her and I won't do it for you! They're my dreams and I just want them to stop!_" Florina screamed, throwing herself out of Fiora's arms and into her pillow, sobbing.

--

Hector stooped slightly to hear Kaira's whispering.

"This has even got my brother brooding. He's always been a firm believer in quick decisions, but now he wishes for more time . . . I've never seen him like this before." Kaira nodded.

"We've seen this entire expedition move from a small rebellion to a threat to the entire continent. I don't want to say this, but . . . I might be in over my head here," Kaira whispered back. "Saving a continent by averting a disaster of unprecedented proportions is a little out of my area of expertise."

--

"So your mount is the one that's been chewing on the Pegasi?" said Sain innocently. Heath choked in mid-swallow, spraying ale over the grass in front of him and cussing. Sain laughed, grabbing the Bernian's arm as he jumped to his feet.

"Relax; I'm just messing with you! I was wondering whose wyvern that was," he said. Heath laughed in return, flopping back into his seat and drinking more ale.

--

Priscilla: That should about do it for the review!

IceBlade28: You're getting really good at these, Priscilla. Maybe I need to start paying you.

Serra: I've been here since Chapter VI and I haven't seen a single gold piece for my work!! How is that fair?!

IceBlade28: I'm the author. I don't have to be fair.

Serra: But you do have to be injured.

IceBlade28: Say what? (Serra attacks. Screams are deleted for the sake of the viewer's eardrums.)

Priscilla: I think I'll have to start the chapter myself.

**Chapter XXV: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back**

Hector stared straight ahead, biting his lip. They had arrived at the rim of the Nabata desert. The ground beneath them was patched with brown grass, but a few steps ahead saw a complete void of any plant life. Just sand as far as the eye could see. A horizon of sand and sky, and all the distance between was covered with rolling sand dunes as high as any grassy hill. Hector disliked sand, and he disliked the heat.

And, of course, here was both sand and heat in ridiculous excess. Just perfect.

Hector turned back to the army, quickly checking up on his soldiers to see how they were holding up. Most were starting to sweat, but hiding it well. The two Pegasus sisters were slumped in their saddles, and their hair was starting to mat. Hector decided to keep an eye on them, particularly Florina, since she looked like she was about to faint.

"So, are we ready to enter the desert?" Hector asked, wanting someone to say 'no' and give him an excuse to wait. Someone replied, alright, but not the girl Hector was hoping for. Her usually vibrant pigtails were already drooping with sweat, and there were a few sweat stains starting to form on her bright white robe.

"Oh shut up and get moving, you big tin can," snapped Serra, standing near the front of the crowd. Hector swallowed a reply, turned around and marched straight into the desert. At least the heat would cut down on Serra's attitude. The downside was that the heat would cause Hector to be too out of it to enjoy Serra's silence. Such was life.

The army chugged into a quiet saturnine pace, saving their energy for the march. Struggling along with them was little Nils, who held his half-carved flute loosely. He knew his music would be called on to help the weaker members of the army survive the sweltering march. The problem was, he wasn't sure if his flute was ready for combat. He was still carving his new flute after X chopped his old one in half, and it wasn't quite finished. The sound was still rough. Grating. Harsh. Whatever word you wanted. The flute wasn't ready to be played yet and Nils didn't know what would happen if he tried to put his magic into the flute. Bad music brings forth bad magic, and bad magic brings forth a dead friend. He didn't want dead friends, or bad magic, or bad music. Hence, Nils refused to play a note until he was positive the flute was capable of helping his friends. He was a skilled musician and he took pride in his music.

Nils strode confidently into the desert and began to mount the first sand dune.

Fourteen sand dunes and five hours of trekking later, Nils wouldn't have played a note for anyone in the world. He was stumbling through the thick sand and sweating buckets. The Nabata Desert was already taking its toll on everyone, and Nils was finding it harder to keep up with the adults; he was an ice dragon, for crying out loud. He wasn't built to survive this kind of heat, and Eliwood had ordered that the water was to be strictly rationed. He'd only woken up yesterday after Ninian put him in that coma. You'd think he deserved a break!

"I'm gonna die," he mumbled to himself, hating how parched he sounded.

"Nils," barked a voice behind him. "Do you need to ride on my shoulders?" The dragon-boy turned around to see Hector striding towards him, incredibly still wearing his bulky blue armour.

"Huh?" Nils babbled, confused. Hector rolled his eyes.

"What? You're surprised that a big lug like me can be nice to a kid?" he said sarcastically. Nils blinked, and his crimson eyes were dazed.

"Huh? Um- no," he mumbled. Hector frowned.

"I won't have you collapsing on us like yesterday. Up you go!" he said firmly, grabbing Nils by his sides and thrusting him over his shoulders. Nils started to cry out from fear and joy, laughing.

"I'm going to fall!" he said, but despite the fear Nils found a childish glee in being carried. It was nice, surprisingly. The air was cooler up on Hector's shoulders than closer to the ground. Nils started laughing as Hector jigged left and right, giving him an enjoyable ride.

Kaira smiled at Hector behind his back, noticing the dance as she crested the lost-count sand dune. She'd known Hector had a nice side, but she didn't know he was good with kids. Maybe she'd been taking the axeman for granted.

Kaira shook herself immediately. She took something for _granted_? She? The tactician to some of the most influential people in Lycia? The heat was getting to her. The heat was definitely getting to her.

The tactician glanced at a vague point over her shoulder, up and away from the sand and into the sky. She didn't know where on earth Lyndis was. The logical side of her said that Lyndis was dead. Every other part of her refused to believe it, but she had to face facts at some point. Lyn had been kidnapped by a convicted killer and was at least eighty leagues away, over desert and forest and possibly mountain.

"Be safe," mumbled Kaira, still staring at the sky.

--

Lyndis frowned to herself. X had told her to ask the most obvious question, but the most obvious question was also the stupidest. At least, it sounded stupid to her. How could he not be? Still, he _did _want her to ask . . .

"Ask the obvious . . . You're not human, are you?" she asked hesitantly. X smiled sadly.

It's tough to get more obvious than that." Lyn jerked, surprised. This boy, the person from her memories- he wasn't human? How was that possible?

"If- then- huh?" Lyn stammered. "If you're not human, what are you? Some kind of puppet? A demon?" X bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"That's part of the problem . . . I'm not exactly sure," admitted X sheepishly. Lyndis stared blankly at him, and X felt the need to elaborate.

"I don't know what I am, but I know I'm not human," he said.

"How do you know?"

"I have no soul."

The idea was ludicrous to Lyndis; it went against everything she'd learned since she was a child. Everything that lived had a soul, except for the disgusting half-formed puppets she'd heard about in folk tales. Puppets made by dark magic, attempts to imitate life. Only puppets were soulless, and X was clearly no puppet.

"That's impossible. Everyone has a soul."

"That's just it, though. I don't have a soul. I wasn't born like a human," he explained. "I was created from base materials, and I was made to live without quintessence." Lyn blinked. X was beyond anything she could have believed.

"How is that possible?" Lyndis whispered. X shrugged, biting his lip.

"You tell me."

Lyndis swallowed, wavering on the couch. This was a boy who walked the quiet halls of her mind, who rang out from her past. Perhaps it was appropriate that he wasn't human. How else could he tantalise her memories like that?

X leaned back on the rug and watched Lyn intently for any reaction. The Sacaen was gobsmacked, and X found that he was worried that Lyn would hate him for what he was. It was so peculiar. He'd never been so concerned that a girl, much less anyone, wouldn't judge him for who he was and what he'd done.

"Lyn, if you hate me for what I am, then-"

"I don't hate you," she said quickly.

"Then you pity me," said X.

"No, I-"

"Lyn, I can see it in your eyes. You pity me because I'm not human," he said. Lyn opened her mouth to defend herself and stopped. She did pity him. It wasn't even logical pity. X seemed perfectly human to her, but- no. He had to have a soul. He had to. This was some kind of sick game, some kind of trick. Propaganda. Whatever he wanted to call it.

"You're lying," Lyndis said coldly. "Tell me who you really are." X scoffed, offended.

"I promised to tell you who I was, didn't I? This is it! I'm telling the truth!"

"Bull!" Lyn shouted. "What you're telling me is impossible!"

"Oh really?! 'Impossible' this!" bellowed X. He yanked out a dagger, pressed the blade against the knuckle of an index finger and cut it clean off. Lyndis shot backwards, back onto the couch.

"Are you out of your mind?!" she screeched. X held up his bleeding hand for observation.

"Look at it!" he yelled. Lyn looked away, purposefully, prideful. X ground his teeth and shoved his hand closer to the Sacaen.

"_Look at it!_" he yelled again. Lyn stole a glance to see the blood on his hand congealing, and a pale and fleshy stump starting to sprout from the wound. In less than a minute, a brand new index finger was perched where his original had been, with no difference between the severed finger and the new one. X waggled the new index finger at her, showing perfect mobility.

Lyndis nearly vomited.

"Father Sky, you're not lying . . . you really aren't human . . ." she moaned, clawing the cushions of the couch. X picked up the original severed finger and crumbled it into ash, sprinkling it over the fire.

"I told you," he said. "I'm not human. I won't lie to you." Lyndis nodded slowly, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. X rose to his feet and took a step towards her. Lyn recoiled before she thought to react in any other way. X bit his lip and sat back down. It was clear that Lyn needed space at the moment.

"So your name is X," she said slowly. "As in, the letter 'X'." X shrugged.

"Pretty much," he said.

"Then . . . why 'X'? Why not pick a different name?" she asked. X grinned.

"X is the mathematical symbol for the unknown. As soon as I find out what I am, I will pick a more suitable name," he said. Lyn put a hand up, breathing heavily. It was too much for her.

"Now all that's left for you to do is employ me in your charge," said X, surprised at the quaver in his voice. Lyn put a hand to her chest, her mind still reeling.

"I- I know, just . . . give me a moment." X nodded, praying that she wouldn't ask one question.

"X, before you start working for me, I need to know something: what was the Patran Massacre?" asked Lyn.

X gritted his teeth. Just perfect.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said.

"Well, you'd better start wanting to talk about it," snapped Lyn. It was uncharacteristic of her to be selfishly angry. But in retrospect, she had been attacked, injured, lonely, intrigued, half-frozen, lost, and freaked out, all in the last forty-eight hours. One couldn't begrudge her a little anger.

X scowled, keeping a stiff upper lip. The Patran Massacre was too much past to dig up in one evening. He'd never told anyone about it, and he thought he'd erased all trails of it. Now, despite his best efforts, Lyn knew about it.

"I'm not saying a word," he said stubbornly. Lyn snarled and lunged forward with her Mani Katti in mid-draw, smashing X's jaw with the hilt. They landed on top of each other and quickly scrambled apart. Lyn swiped back at X and carved a shallow but jagged gash across his chest. As with the assassin's finger, the gash soon withered and slipped together, reclotting the blood and leaving only a cut across his shirt.

"Will you tell me what the Patran Massacre was or do I have to cut it out of you?" growled Lyn.

"Lyn, don't do this," X warned. "I love you. Don't make me hurt you."

"_Liar!_" Lyn screeched, hurling herself bodily at X. The assassin raised his Kéye Li'ink in defence too late. His sword was swept aside and he coughed as Lyn ploughed into him, sending him flying backwards. He landed on his back and skidded out of the lounge into the hallway with Lyn hot on his heels. X blocked a slash at his neck and rolled to his feet.

"Tell me what you did!" Lyn yelled. X blocked another slash.

"Not a chance in hell-" he was cut off by a low sweep from the Mani Katti that bit into his thigh. He hopped awkwardly around for a moment until Lyn performed a spectacular high kick that transformed into a back flip, shredding the Mani Katti out of his leg and twisting him through the air to land back in the lounge room.

"It wasn't my fault!" X said, clawing back from a furious Lyndis. "I didn't mean to kill those people!" Lyn kicked the Kéye Li'ink out of X's hands and drove a knee into his chest, winding him as she knelt on top of him. She then slid the Mani Katti across his throat.

"You will tell me what the Patran Massacre was, or we will find out if you can regrow a head," Lyn hissed. X felt- incredibly, illogically- a tear slip from his eye.

"Fine. You want to know so badly? I'll tell you. But don't come crying to me when you get nightmares," he spat. "A group called the Black Fang hired me to kill a nobleman in Bern who was abusing his power over the peasants. They were starving and living in filthy hovels, dying openly in the streets. I thought this would be the best thing I could ever do, the most _right_ thing I could ever do."

"But?" asked Lyn coldly.

"But I got cocky. I killed the nobleman in his bed, but the dastard didn't _die_. He flopped and moaned and screamed, and by the time he did kick the bucket the entire castle had woken up," X said quietly. "I couldn't get out."

"So what did you do?" asked Lyn slowly, fearing his answer. X stayed silent.

"What did you do, X?" she said again. The assassin defied her again, refusing to answer. Lyn gritted her teeth and slapped the boy hard, using her nails to draw four bloody lines across his cheek.

"What did you do?!" she yelled.

"I killed them!" X yelled back.

"Who 'them'?"

"_Everyone!!"_ shrieked X. "_I killed everyone! Men! Women! Children! I killed all of them!_"

Lyn choked and fell back from the assassin, scrabbling backwards until she was standing. He . . . how could he have done that? Even in the most desperate circumstances, she couldn't have dreamed of . . .

"How- how many?" stammered Lyn. X couldn't meet her eyes, getting to his feet and walking to the snow-covered window. He stayed silent.

"How many?" whimpered Lyndis, staring at X's back. The answer was barely a whisper.

"Four hundred and seventeen, not including grown men or warriors," X muttered, the words condensing on the glass in a fog. "I buried them myself."

Lyndis was hyperventilating. Everything began to drag into slow motion, and she recognised the signs of blacking out. Her mind was reeling- she couldn't take it, she couldn't take it, she couldn't take it, she couldn't take it, she couldn't take it, she couldn't take it, Elimine's name she just couldn't _take_ it anymore-

Lyndis grabbed X's shoulder and spun the assassin to face her. Before she could stop herself she lashed out with a fist and punched X square across the jaw. A loud crunch signalled that she had broken his mouth. X smashed backwards into the window before crumpling to the ground face-down, unconscious. Lyn wrung her hand out, smiling grimly at the assassin. Suddenly she could take it again.

Lyn walked over to X's crumpled body and examined his body- more specifically, the sword that he had on him. She took the Kéye Li'ink in one hand, weighing the blade carefully. It was of particularly curious workmanship, roughly a hand's width more to the hilt then usual, and the back edge of the sword was jagged, as though the sword had dozens of tiny barbed arms reaching back to the wielder.

The Sacaen princess twirled the sword a few times, enough until she frowned. It just didn't feel . . . right. She didn't feel comfortable with the Kéye Li'ink. Maybe it was because the Kéye Li'ink wasn't her sword, or maybe because she was mildly superstitious. She didn't know. What she did know, however, was that she had the assassin who had caused her so much grief- and killed the man she loved- at his mercy.

The only two things that were stopping her from beheading X right at that moment were the facts that X still had more to tell her and that she had given X her word that she would drop all charges and employ him. Going against that would mean going against her pride as a Sacaen.

Lyn rotated the sword slowly in her hand until the tip pointed at the floor. Having an assassin that could heal himself would be a major asset, but it could just as easily turn into a double-edged sword if she couldn't trust him.

The storm howled and raged outside, and besides the slamming winds the only sounds were the quiet breaths of X and Lyndis. Lyndis felt her arm tense, and she knew what she had to do. She had to kill him.

The tip of the Kéye Li'ink hovered delicately above X's neck-

-but she couldn't do it.

Lyn let the sword clatter to the ground and walked drudgingly over to the couch, lying down and covering herself with blankets. X was right. He wasn't human. No human could have slaughtered four hundred women and children. But Lyn would employ him. He was a tool. A useful tool, yes, but only a tool. She owned him. She would use him.

And after this war against Nergal had ended, Lyn would find a way to dispose of him.

--

Just a sand dune away from Eliwood and Hector was a man in a long robe performing a very peculiar task: he was bent almost in half, his nose just an inch above the scorching sand, prowling around like some sort of sniffer dog.

Pent grinned and plunged his hand deep into the burning sand, much of the heat dispersed by his gloves. Something caught just beneath the surface, but Pent gave it a harder tug and the object emerged from the sand. It was an ornamental seal, carved from rosewood and coated in intricate designs of ruby and pearl.

"At last . . . a Heaven Seal . . ." he breathed. The seal flashed once in the sunlight as if to confirm his words. The sage rubbed a few extra granules of sand from its surface, smiling at it. He'd been looking for this seal all day, and he was beginning to worry that he wasn't going to find it. But, at last, here it was. How marvellous.

Thundering footsteps soon sounded all around him. Pent stood up to watch the surreal vision of dozens of shamans, axe-wielding bandits, and even wyvern riders streak over the sand dunes towards him, led by a pair of rather grotesque humanoid creatures. Both were easily twice his size, miniature giants, and wielding axes almost as large as Pent himself. Clearly these people were some form of desert bandit group. The two axe-wielding leaders approached Pent, staying a safe distance away.

"Well, well, well. What a pretty little jewel," said the pink person.

"Yes, very pretty," said the blue one.

"We should very much like it if you'd give that to us," jabbered the pink person.

"Very much so," said the blue person.

Pent's eyes whipped back and forth from the Warrior figure in pink to the Warrior figure in blue. They were performing some sort of hip-hop-skip dance, jabbering on without giving Pent the chance to get a word in edge-wise.

Pent stared at the creatures before him. They were human, he knew that, but there was no possible way of distinguishing sex. One said he- no, she- was named Paul, and the other said it was named Jasmine. Either way, they wanted the ornamental seal Pent was concealing beneath his cloak.

"Give it to us!" demanded Jasmine. Pent placed a hand over his Elfire tome, well aware of several other bandits beginning to surround him. The scorpions would be picking away at several bodies tonight. Normally Pent went with the medium-to-well-done option when he would cast Elfire, but these bandits looked out for blood. The sage settled with the 'charbroil' option.

"This seal is mine. It took me a long time to find it and I'll not hand it over," Pent said politely, swirling his hand and scorching a nearby brigand into the ground. Jasmine- or Paul- no, Jasmine- Pent shook himself, immediately making the mental decision to name the axe-person in blue 'Paul' and the axe-person in pink 'Jasmine'. Jasmine stared at the burning body of the brigand member.

"I don't think this person is very nice, Paul," she huffed.

"No, not very nice at all, Jasmine."

"First he refused to give us what we wanted-"

"Then he killed one of our little club!"

"I think we should kill him!"

"I think we should too, Jasmine!"

Pent couldn't take it anymore. He'd be subdued without a single blow if these two kept up their irritating jibber-jabber. Fortunately, he was spared the mental stress by the more attention-grabbing fact of over a dozen bandits approaching him, surrounding him. The Sage quickly changed tomes from Elfire to the slightly-less-damaging-but-faster-to-wield Thunder tome.

Pent cracked his knuckles and settled into an offensive stance. _Oh good_, he thought. _A little evening exercise._

An over-eager Brigand let loose a jarring yell, leaping from the top of a dune with his axe ready for the plunge. If it would connect, it would cleave Pent into two separate pieces. Pent spotted the leaping bandit and thrust a palm towards him, sending a twisting line of lightening on a deadly intercept course. It punched into his chest and sent him straight back the way he came, disappearing over the very sand dune he jumped from. Pent could still hear him crackling as he flew into the distance.

--

Lucius stumbled down a sand dune, wobbling beneath the weight of his pack. It was harder for him than anyone else: he only had one arm. His robe was matting to his skin, making progress harder as he pushed his way through the sand. His long blonde hair was shone as brightly as the pounding sun, making it a hindrance not only for him but for the people who looked at him. Lucius found his penitent mood failing, and he coughed out what little effort was left in him as he fell to his knees. The momentum of his pack forced him face-first into the ground, where he could feel the individual granules of sand burning his face. He had spent himself, and now he was going to lie down and die as the natural law permitted. Elimine would receive him into Her Kingdom for his hard work. He was positive.

The monk felt his arm lifted for him, and a great sense of relief as his pack was slid off his back. Lucius squinted away from the sand to see Raven raising the pack and slinging it over his shoulder. Raven's hand came down again, this time to seize a handful of Lucius' sweaty robes and heave the monk to his feet.

"If you were having trouble, you could've told me," Raven said gruffly. "Ride in Merlinus' caravan for a while. It'll make you feel better."

"May Elimine bless you, Lord Raymond," said Lucius, turning to go. Raven's hand grabbed another fistful of Lucius' robes, this time to drag the monk closer.

"Don't call me that," he hissed. "We've been over this, remember? It's 'Raven' now." The mercenary stomped off ahead, wearing two packs as though they were nothing at all.

Lucius felt the heat of Raven's words, but they were trifles compared to the heat of the desert. The monk stumbled away, heading for Merlinus' caravan. He didn't intend to ride it for long, just long enough to get his strength back. Eliwood had ordered limited resting periods in their only shelter so they could preserve the horse's strength. Merlinus' horse was big- the biggest in the army, in fact- but the heat was attacking all of them. Lucius just prayed that they didn't hit any quicksand. He'd heard tales of travellers who had taken a wrong step and begun to sink into the sand, weighed down by their gear, until the sand covered their heads and they suffocated. Swallowed alive by the desert.

Lucius collapsed onto Merlinus' caravan gratefully. Tiny flecks of sweat flicked from his hair to land on items within the expansive caravan, but they were quickly evaporated by the smothering heat.

The monk yelped as something huge and heavy smashed into the caravan with incredible force, tipping the entire caravan sideways. The entire caravan tipped over, spilling the one-armed monk back onto the sand. Merlinus was trapped in the saddle and wound up tangled in the reins, hooting and hollering for someone to come free him. Lucius instinctively knew the march would be put on halt for a while.

The monk glanced through his hair to see the dead body of an electrocuted Brigand pinning his legs, leaving him half in and half out of the caravan. Worse, Lucius could feel the sand beneath him starting to give way. Merlinus' screeching cries confirmed it.

They had wandered into quicksand.

It was chaos. Every horse began to scream and whinny. Kaira and Eliwood leapt from their mounts and waded through the sand.

"Save the convoy!" Kaira bellowed. "Anything that can be saved, get it!" Guy and Rath, the only Sacaens still with the army and the least affected by the heat, jumped aboard the sinking caravan and began hurtling whatever came to hand- vulneraries, swords, water pouches, food, anything. The added weight of Guy and Rath on the convoy would have made it sink faster, but the lessening of items in the caravan slowed the 'fall' into the sand. Lucius felt the convoy sinking and nearly wept. There had been so much death, so many obstacles and so much pain. What was the point of it anymore? It was clear Elimine didn't want them to succeed. Surely their quest had been arduous enough without the loss of their caravan!

A startled yelp and thump heralded Merlinus' flight from the saddle to safety. Lucius watched Guy and Rath jump from the roof to safety. They had not seen him. Lucius felt a tear drip from his eye, mingling with the sweat that soaked him. Nothing mattered anymore. He could not save himself, and he would not ask anyone to. There was no point.

Lucius looked over the Brigand corpse pinning him down. Someone was casting shade onto his face. To his grief, it was Raven, standing in the smashed-in side of the caravan. The mercenary was furious.

"Lucius! What are you _doing_?! Come on!" he bellowed. Lucius stared back blankly, unresponsive. Raven was very aware of the sinking caravan and was getting antsy.

"Are you deaf and dumb, you stupid monk? Get up!" he yelled, grabbing Lucius' arm and pulling it. Lucius stayed put, wedged beneath the Brigand.

"I will die here, Raymond," Lucius said. "I have no desire to move, and I will not." Raven grit his teeth and the hideous thought of ditching the monk flitted across his mind. But only for a second.

"The hell you won't!" snarled Raven, kicking the body off Lucius and lifting the monk into the air before dumping Lucius on his shoulder. Lucius hung like a limp rag, uncaring. Raven tried to step back through the hole. His feet had been submerged in burning sand, up to his calves. Raven yanked his feet out of the sand and climbed onto the roof of the sinking caravan, perched there like the captain of a sinking ship.

"Leave me," Lucius muttered. Raven ignored him, leaning forward and jumping. The pair of them landed on the edge of the pool of quicksand and immediately sunk in ankle-deep, but a dozen grabbing hands were there to fish them out again. Raven immediately dumped Lucius to the ground.

"_Moron!_ What are you trying to pull?!" shouted Raven over the din of Merlinus' sinking horse. "You're missing an arm, not a brain!" Lucius stared blankly at him again. Raven threw his hands in the air, fed up.

"Fine. You want to lay there and die? Go ahead. I already miss you," he said sarcastically, spitting once on the monk's robes and walking off. Lucius continued to lay there until he felt a small and gentle hand touch his chest. Lucius turned his head to the side to see Serra kneeling beside him. Lucius knew in one look, one gaze into Serra's sapphire eyes: the cleric was heartbroken. But Serra's face didn't show it.

Serra scooped her arms under Lucius and pulled him to his feet, brushing sand off the back of his robe. Serra made sure to make eye contact with him.

"Did you really think," she said quietly, "that I didn't love you enough to keep you alive?"

Her words were barely heard over Merlinus' thrashing mount, which had sunk up to its neck in the sand. The monk and the cleric turned to the horse and saw- just in that moment- an arrow shaft pierce its neck. A second arrow followed, taking the horse through the head.

Rebecca was seen lowering her bow, tears running down her face. Sain was standing beside her with a hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

"It's kinder," he said. "Better a quick death by an arrow then suffocating alive." Rebecca nodded, still crying.

"I just wish it could have gone smoother," she sobbed, sniffing hard.

"It _did_ go smoothly, Rebecca. You couldn't have asked for a cleaner kill. Trust me. It was the right thing to do," said Sain firmly.

--

Kaira bit her lip, her eyes tracing the trajectory the dead Brigand took through the sky. Eliwood was standing next to her, following her eyes and thinking the same thing.

"Where did the dead man come from?" Eliwood asked. Kaira stared at the crest of a sand dune and started towards it, pricking her ears up for any odd sounds. In confirmation, a plethora of odd sounds reached her ears- odd sounds including explosions, human and inhuman screaming, and spells being cast. Kaira reached the summit of the sand dune and stared at the battle below her. One man in a robe was fending off over a dozen attackers, from axemen to shamans to wyvern riders. Kaira gnashed her teeth, furious. She hated seeing lop-sided battles, immediately ordering her army to defend the Sage. Kaira didn't think she'd have to defend him for long- from the looks of things the Sage was doing a pretty dang good job of defending himself.

The majority of her army moved sluggishly compared to their usual battle speed, but there were a handful of Kaira's soldiers that shot down the slope to engage the enemy first: the Pegasus sisters, Heath, the two Sacaens, and, oddly enough, the magic users. Erk and Canas were completely unhindered by the sand and the heat.

Fiora urged her mount into a faster flight and hefted her lance, swooping on a shaman from behind and spearing him through the head. She shook the body from her lance and flew just above the ground, her sights on a Mage who was staring her straight in the face. She gritted her teeth, watching as the Fire spell rose from the Mage- it sped through the air- Fiora twisted her mount, banking right-

The Fire spell struck her low on her left side, burning away her leather outfit and leaving a layer of charred and bloody skin beneath it. Fiora yelled angrily and hurled her lance with her good arm. It speared the Mage through the arm. He fell to the ground. Fiora flew over the wounded Mage and grabbed her lance, yanking both her lance- and the Mage, still impaled on it- off the ground. The Mage was screaming and weeping until Fiora's Pegasus kicked him in the head. The Mage fell silent and was finally twisted free from Fiora's lance, falling soundlessly to the sand below. Fiora yanked the reins up, forcing her upset Pegasus to fly higher and wheel around in mid-air to attack a wyvern rider close by.

Fiora threw herself at the wyvern rider, bleeding from a side wound but uncaring. Her lance plunged into the rider and its mount repeatedly. Fiora's Pegasus screeched as the wyvern took a chunk out of its flank; Fiora stabbed the wyvern again to ensure its death, cursing. Fiora kicked her mount as it started to lag.

"Work with me!" she yelled, ignoring her mount's pain and steering it towards the next foe. Fiora rammed her Pegasus into the wyvern's side. The animal hissed, jerking its head around and lunging at Fiora teeth first. The Ilian gasped and dodged but the wyvern twisted its neck and sunk its teeth into Fiora's thigh, dragging her off her mount.

Fiora screamed as she felt the teeth shred her leg until the wyvern lost its grip. Leaving a large chunk of her leg in the wyvern's jaws Fiora plunged head over heels to the ground-

Until a white and lavender streak blew over the sand dune and caught Fiora a story from the ground. Fiora looked weakly up at her saviour: it was her sister, Florina, who was already crying.

"Fiora, are you insane?!" wept Florina. "Are you trying to kill yourself?!" The injured Ilian bowed her head, bloody and ashamed.

"If that's what it takes to see Kent again," Fiora said, burning with humiliation. Florina could barely believe her ears. No love was worth suicide for. It defied logic. Granted, she was well aware of the existence of an afterlife, but still! It wasn't right.

Fiora's eyes rolled up into her head and she went limp in Florina's arms. The youngest sister instinctively began to cry, turning her Pegasus for the main camp back over the ridge. Her sister needed to be healed. Fiora was already bleeding from a side wound-

Florina yelped as a Flux spell shot up from over the sand dune and smashed into Huey's chest. Florina felt her Pegasus begin to fall, and they arced straight down. Florina tried to save her Pegasus, her landing, and her sister- none went well. Huey face-planted into the sand with a whinny, tumbling over Florina and Fiora and sending them both flying, lost in a tumbling mess of feathers and sand and blood.

The lavender haired sister pulled herself from the ground and looked for Fiora. Her sister was lying a few yards away, sitting upright, and staring at her leg- or what was left of it. Fiora's leg was almost severed, hanging by a few bloody ligaments and staining the sand beneath her a grisly red. Florina scrambled over to her sister and cradled Fiora in her arms, panicking. Fiora was hyperventilating and staring at the carnage below her waist.

"Florina . . . my leg," she gasped. "Elimine's name, Florina, my _leg_! It's nearly torn off!"

"Sister, you have to look away. Look in my eyes," Florina demanded. She had to be sharp in an emergency. It was one of the basic training rules she'd learned as a trainee Pegasus rider.

"Florina, but- my leg!"

"Sister, look at me!"

"M-my leg . . ."

"You're going into shock!"

"My . . ."

"_Stay awake!!_"

--

IceBlade28: I think I'll end the chapter right here.

Serra: How could you leave it there?!

Priscilla: Now I understand why you hate his cliffhangers.

IceBlade28: Well, I haven't left it at a good, solid cliffhanger for a long time. I wanted something for the reader's to drool over for Chapter XXVI.

Serra: I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you scene-stealing hack!

IceBlade28: Scene-stealing? They're hommages!

(Serra assaults IceBlade28 violently)

Priscilla: Very well. I'll get started on the teaser trailer, shall I?

Next time, on Person's Unknown . . .

--

X opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. His mouth felt broken and swollen. Getting to his feet, X placed a hand under his jaw and snapped it back into place, crunching bone and playing with the joints until they slowly healed the way he desired. A quick movement on the couch caught his eye. The sound of him resetting his jaw had woken Lyndis up, who was staring at him oddly. X couldn't interpret the look.

"The storm has stopped," said Lyndis. "We can leave now." X glanced out the window to notice that the storm had indeed stopped. Sunlight now shone into the cabin.

"I guess . . . you're employed in my charge now," she said slowly, getting up from the couch and moving to stand in front of the door. X watched her form, lithe and seductive in the sunlight. Lyn drew back a slender leg and booted the door off its hinges.

X immediately recalculated. Lithe, seductive, and capable of injuring him.

--

Pent regarded Kaira with a peculiar eye. Kaira immediately knew who Pent was, and flicked her amethyst hair back in an attempt to look professional.

"Wonderful to meet you, Mage General, sir," she said politely. Pent nodded, taking out the Heaven Seal.

"Tell me, Miss Tactician. Do you know what this is?" Kaira shook her head.

"I have no clue," she said honestly. Pent tucked the item away in his voluminous robe.

"Good," he said. If this new alliance went sour, at least he would have a greater chance of escaping with the Heaven Seal.

--

Canas waved a hand over his Flux tome in an attempt to cast a spell. A crackle of static was heard, quickly followed by the sound of something short-circuiting. Canas tried again and was rewarded by a sharp jab of energy that coursed through his hand.

"I can't cast a spell," he remarked to Hector. "It's really very intriguing. Something is nullifying my magic. I believe the only creature in the world capable of performing this act is a magic seal."

"A what?"

"A magic seal. A living being who exudes a field which is the very antithesis of magical energy," Canas enthused. "I've wanted the chance to study one of these for years!" Hector shook his head. The shaman was spouting babble.

"Look, just cut to the chase- how do I kill it?" Hector demanded.

--

Florina held her sister in her arms and sobbed. She had tried her best and her best wasn't good enough. She would die, along with her sister and her beloved Huey. The shaman that smote them from the sky was standing over her, raising the same hand to smite them both out of existence.

The Ilian looked desperately around her for a weapon. To her shock, her Slim lance was lodged in the sand just out of arm's reach. But she couldn't grab it without moving from underneath Fiora. Gaining the lance would mean leaving Fiora to completely open attack. Florina had a second to decide-

So the shaman decided for her.

--

Priscilla: That's the teaser trailer done.

Serra: I'm not sure how long it'll take Taylor to recover from his injuries, so it looks like us muses are running the show for now!

Priscilla: What did you _do _to him?

Serra: Nothing. I just moved his ribs.

Priscilla: To where?

Serra: Somewhere near his sphincter, I think.

Priscilla: Join us next time for Person's Unknown Chapter XXVI: What Is Humanity?

Serra: Reviews would be loved!


	26. A Parting Note

The End.

IceBlade28: It's been three years. I don't think any of you really expected this story to come back at all, and, in a sense, it isn't. I've moved on from fanfiction as a writer and from Fire Emblem as a person. However, I worked too hard on this story to just let it wither and die in the black vortex of 'meh, whatever'-ness.

So, essentially, I've decided to put my fic to rest.

What will follow is a true Fire Emblem style 'roll credits' ending of the fates of the characters encountered throughout the journey. As for the events that transpired between Chapter XXV and now, well . . . feel free to draw your own conclusions. Or, even better, honour them with your own fics! Send me a PM or mention it in your review, and I'll let you have at it.

So, from myself as a writer, my muses, and all of us here (well . . . 'all of us' meaning myself and my muses xD) . . . thank you. Thank you for the support and the critiques and the guidance and everything.

And without further ado . . . roll credits.

Matthew – Thief and Spy: Matthew was tempted to continue his service as a spy for House Ostia, yet a psychological break caused by signing a Fell Contract at the Battle of the Dragon's Gate has tormented him since. The memory of Leila still lingers in his heart, and after destroying the enhanced morph of Leila that opposed them at the Dragon's Gate, Matthew quietly announced his retirement to Marquess Ostia and General Oswin. No-one has seen him since.

Guy – Mounted Swordsman: Guy continued to hone his skills as a swordsman, and returned home to Sacae, where he became Lyndis' unofficial bodyguard after she returned to the grasslands she loved so much. His form became so perfected that he was known as the Saint of Swords, and he defended them loyally until the Pheraen government petitioned Lyndis for Guy's aide in the Massacre at Horned Ridge, where Guy fought bravely and was one of the few survivors. He returned to Lyndis' cottage as her bodyguard, living out a surprisingly long life.

Oswin – Impregnable Knight: Oswin continued serving faithfully to House Ostia, moving up through the ranks to become the ranking military General of their armies. He continues to provide a calm, reasonable voice in the Lycia's ruling government.

Serra – Outspoken Cleric: Serra continued in the service of House Ostia, where she and her husband, the one-armed monk Lucius, built an orphanage/convent for abandoned youths. She remains her stubborn self, yet her arrogance has been tempered by her position as the Mother of the Convent. . . . but only slightly.

Lucius – The Light: Lucius overcame his depression with the aide of the cleric Serra, whom he married after the long and costly campaign. The two of them built an orphanage/convent for abandoned youths. He met Raven shortly after their wedding and just prior to the Massacre at Horned Ridge. Though Lucius insisted on accompanying Raven into battle, the mercenary adamantly refused.

Raven – Sublime Mercenary: After the conflict, Raven revealed his past to Hector. The new Marquess Ostia offered to rebuild Raven's shattered home, but Raven declined. He attended Lucius' wedding, before vanishing. He only reappeared after the Pheraen government declared war on the Sword Demon. He was present at the Massacre at Horned Ridge, where he fought Karel's followers, eventually succumbing alongside Guy to overwhelming odds. At Lucius' request to the Pheraen government, he was entombed beneath the altar at the convent Lucius and Serra ran.

Marcus – Knight of Pherae: Marcus returned to Pherae with Eliwood, where he remained as the head of the knights of Pherae until Lowen finally bested him in a duel, and replaced Marcus in his position. Marcus remained a close friend of Eliwood's throughout the rest of their days.

Lowen – Swift Knight: After his surprising trounce of the arena champion at Badon, several recruiters came looking for him in the hopes of recruiting the cavalier. However, Lowen remained loyal to Pherae and eventually replaced Marcus as the military leader. His endless zeal and patriotism to his house served it well throughout his life.

Rebecca – A Wildflower: Rebecca and Sain had a shotgun wedding on Captain Fargus' ship, and the two of them returned to Caelin and started a family after Eliwood and Lyndis gave them their blessings. She makes a living from the local archery tournaments, while Sain continues to receive his commission as a knight beneath Lyndis. They live happily in a cottage in the suburban hub of Caelin.

Dorcas – Serene Warrior: Dorcas' death at the hands of a Black Fang Sage was never forgotten by his companion Bartre, or by his Caelin friends. Upon the news of his death reaching Natalie, it is heard that she lost the will to live, and succumbed to the disease that ravaged her body before the week was out. Final reports indicate that Dorcas and Natalie are living comfortably in the waiting area of the afterlife, and that she is able to walk again.

Bartre – Wild Axefighter: Bartre continued his quest from country to country, making a name for himself in arena's and unofficial fight clubs. He fell in love with his own mortal enemy, a raven-haired swordswoman named Karla. One of their children is named Dorcas, in honour of his friend. Rumours that he is an expecting father again are unconfirmed.

Florina – Pegasus Knight: Florina's brush with the psychic plane ended upon the closing of the Dragon's Gate, yet the damage to her psyche was done. While physicians recommended that she be committed to the Caelin Asylum's, Lyndis would not have it. Florina resided in the bedroom adjacent to Lyndis', where she recovered- slowly. After Caelin was annexed by Ostia, Florina travelled with Lyndis to the Sacaen grasslands, where she continued to make a slow recovery of her mental faculties. She is aware of very little beyond her immediate surroundings.

Fiora – Wing-Borne Warrior: Fiora survived the campaign, yet had become hardened and bitter by the end of the battles. After losing her leg in the battle in the Nabata desert, she was fitted with a prosthetic leg and underwent physical rehabilitation in Pherae. Once recovered, she decided to face the music and returned to Ilia to report the deaths of her Pegasus Unit at the hands of a green-clad assassin. Arriving in Ilia, Fiora was arrested for evasion of justice and cowardice in the face of battle. She committed suicide in her prison cell prior to her execution.

Kent – The Crimson Shield: Kent's death at the hands of X rocked the member's of Lyndis' legion to their core. While the unofficial funeral of Kent was held in the port town of Badon, the official ceremony for the Caelin Knights went ahead in Caelin afterwards, so that the public could grieve. Notably, Lyndis, Florina, and Fiora were not in attendance, presumably from emotional trauma. Last reports of Kent state that he had moved beyond the waiting room where Dorcas, Natalie, and others inhabited. No-one knows to what place he has gone.

Sain – The Green Lance: After a shotgun wedding upon Davros' vessel to Rebecca, he returned to Caelin with his wife in tow. At her insistence, Sain remained under Lyndis' command in order to continue earning money for their daughter and two sons, named Kent and Wolt, respectively. His love of women is unchanged, yet he reports that he is surprisingly happy with Rebecca. After Ostia's annexation of Caelin, Sain hung up the sword and lance and became a diplomat between the two houses. It is widely stated that without his charm it was entirely possible that tensions would have escalated to the level of bloodshed.

Wil – Archer Without Equal: Wil was felled in the same battle as Dorcas and Guy. He was last seen in the waiting area of the afterlife. He was last reported sending his love to Rebecca.

Erk – Studious Mage: Erk returned to Etruria with Priscilla, where his natural talent and link to Pent earned him the peerage and finances needed to earn the permission of Count Caerlon to marry Priscilla. The two of them lived happily together, and though Priscilla's memory issues began to worsen over time, it was nothing the two of them could not handle.

Priscilla – Secluded Princess: Priscilla returned with Erk to the land of her birth, where she implored her adoptive parents to let the mage marry her. After Erk had proved himself to them, she found herself wed to the man she loved. The name of Serra was never mentioned between the two of them again. Her memory began to deteriorate over time, though she was, by all reports, content, and assisted her husband in opening a magic school.

Nils – Child of Destiny: After bidding goodbye to his sister, Nils stepped through the Dragon's Gate in order to seal it from the other side. Meeting Eliwood warmed the heart of this ice dragon, and the hope that man and dragon could live in peace was firm in the boy's heart as he stepped into the portal- yet his dealings with X had thawed it again. Upon leaving Elibe, those who saw him will never forget his look of pain and sorrow.

Canas – Seeker of Wisdom: Canas followed Hawkeye to Arcadia, hoping to repair their perceptions of elder magic and to follow his studies. He was welcomed hesitantly at first, but soon became a beloved member of the city. He sends occasional letters to Pent and Erk, updating them on his frequent successful breakthroughs in magical theory and fundamentals. The palace in Etruria partly blames Canas for Pent's retiring as Mage General.

Hawkeye – Desert Guardian: Hawkeye returned to Nabata with an unusual companion, where he lived peacefully in Arcadia with his daughter, whom he trains to be guardian of the desert. His brief spell outside of his home does not appear to have fazed him whatsoever.

Wallace – Crag of Caelin: Wallace intended on returning to Caelin, but he wound up lost and found himself in Ilia. Upon viewing the frozen wastelands, he immediately about-faced and went back the way he came, somehow winding up back in Bern, where he lived among the mountains and cliffs he was named for. It is rumoured that he wiped out the Taliver bandits singlehandedly, but this has yet to be confirmed.

Pent, Mage General; and Louise, Lady of Violets: Louise sustained a mortal injury taking on a magically-enhanced Vaida outside the castle of the Bern royal family. Pent returned home immediately with Louise, and spends his days caring for her in Nabata. Though their time with Lyndis, Eliwood, and Hector was short-lived, Louise and Rebecca bonded particularly strongly, and she became the godmother to Rebecca's children. Pent remained as the Mage General for a while, yet ultimately resigned after corresponding with Canas as they continued their study of magic. This put the palace in an uproar, but the two endured.

Legault – The Hurricane: After the campaign, Legault travelled the lands looking for refugees from the shattered Black Fang. He helped them ease the pain of his own loss. Upon years of searching, he came upon the realisation that he was, in fact, the only surviving member. He later entered the arena circuit and was struck down by the Sword Demon, Karel, in an infamous match that pub patrons still debate over.

Isadora – Escort of Pherae: As a Knight of the Imperial Guard, Isadora served as guard to Lady Eleanora. She continued to study to be a lady until she eventually wed Marcus, and the two of them assisted Lowen in taking over the Knights of Pherae.

Karel – Sword Demon: Karel entered the arena circuit, where he gained wide fame and acclaim. His bloodlust was insatiable, and eventually he found himself in Pherae, where he became a legendary mass murderer and wound up inspiring an insane cult of sword-wielding followers. Ironically, Karel himself killed his followers whenever they crossed paths, though this only swelled their ranks. He was brought down after the government declared war against him, and the fight which finally destroyed the Sword Demon and his cult was said to take six straight days and nights. The battle became known as the Massacre at Horned Ridge. Only the combined might of the Angel of Death and the Saint of Swords was capable of ending the life of such a demonic man.

Nino – Pious Mage: Nino travelled with Jaffar after the Battle of the Dragon's gate, where they found a quiet cottage in an undisclosed location. Bounty hunters, seeking after the famed Angel of Death, continued to dog them, and eventually the Lycian government (at the urging of several key members) agreed to take both Nino and Jaffar into protective asylum if they would halt the bloodbath of the Sword Demon. They did so. No-one has heard word of them since, yet it is assumed they live in peace and quiet with their two children, Lugh and Ray.

Heath – Wandering Knight: Heath returned home to Bern, with Vaida alongside, where the two of them sought to protect Prince Zephiel as unofficial guards. They continued to clean up the town together until Heath answered Eliwood's call to aide against the Sword Demon. Heath fell in the Massacre at Horned Ridge.

Jaffar – Angel of Death: After the Battle at the Dragon's Gate, Jaffar retired with Nino to a cottage in an undisclosed location, where they were married in a private ceremony. Jaffar continued to ward off bounty hunters effortlessly, yet agreed to be placed in protective custody under the Pheraen government after he learned of Nino's pregnancy. He stood in the Massacre at Horned Ridge alongside Guy, and the two of them were able to destroy Karel. Jaffar sustained only minor injuries, and vanished after the battle to be with his wife and love. Historians agree after viewing the fight that Jaffar was truly worthy of the title Angel of Death.

Renault – Burdened Bishop: Only X knew the old him. No-one knew the new him. Renault vanished in the Dread Isles as suddenly as he had appeared.

Vaida – Flying Fang: Vaida returned with Heath to Bern, where she remained adamantly supportive of Prince Zephiel. Unbeknownst to the Prince, she foiled many outside assassination attempts. It is rumoured that her heart was broken when Heath left her to help destroy the Sword Demon, yet few will vocalise that rumour, as Vaida's presence in the land is still active and powerful.

Archsage Athos: Athos died in a foreign land, by the side of his good friend, Bramimond. Those who saw his face said that he seemed to have found true peace.

Merlinus – Cheery Merchant: Merlinus, after a grant from Lord Eliwood, managed to open his own shop. This spread into a nationwide corporation, bringing in more money than Merlinus knew what to do with. Due to poor investment choices, Merlinus is currently petitioning the Lycian government for a bailout.

Rath – Wolf of Sacae: Rath returned to the Plains of Sacae, where he became a silent guardian of Lyndis' cottage. He remained behind when Guy was called to defeat the Sword Demon. He remains his quiet, antisocial self, and protects Lyndis and her lover with his life.

Kishuna – Magic Seal: After X's pleas, Kishuna's life was spared by the nobles. The magic seal assisted in the defeat of Nergal and eventually followed Hawkeye and Canas back to Arcadia. He was allowed entrance to live life in peace, on the condition that he never created a morph again. To this day, he has never done so.

Lyndis – Noblewoman of Sacae: After the harrowing and emotionally devastating quest to prevent a second Scouring, Lyndis retired to Caelin, where she cared for the now mentally-unstable Florina. She recorded her experiences with X in a journal which has been sealed in the castle vaults for posterity and protection. It is unclear whether X's proclamation of love had any effect on her. After the journal was completed and her grandfather finally passed away, she requested Caelin to be annexed by Ostia. Lyndis took Florina back to the plains of her birth, where they were protected by both Guy and Rath. It is rumoured that Kaira, the tactician, joined them soon after, and that the two became lovers while caring for Florina. These rumours are unconfirmed.

Hector – General of Ostia: Hector succeeded his brother in becoming the Marquess of Ostia, but his relative's death weighed heavily on his mind. His marriage to the mercenary Farina only added pressure to his calling from the more conservative-minded members of the court, yet her irrepressible spirit only served to lighten his in return. Hector eventually annexed Caelin at Lyndis' request, and placed Sain in the position of Caelin's steward. He has grown to become an enlightened leader, and still keeps in touch with Eliwood. His daughter, Lilina, inherited much of her mother's stubbornness.

Eliwood – Knight of Lycia: Eliwood and Ninian were wed after the conflict, and their marriage was received ecstatically by the Pheraen community. They had one son, named Roy, and ruled in peace. Upon the discovery of the Sword Demon's bloodbath in their realm, they tried to assassinate, extradite, and bargain with Karel, to no avail. Harried and hassled, Eliwood placed a Lycia-wide call to mercenaries in an attempt to destroy the bane to Pherae. He also put in calls to several of his friends in other areas of Elibe, and feels personally responsible for the Massacre at Horned Ridge. His citizenry, while downtrodden, have never questioned his politics, and hail him as an acclaimed and wise leader.

Ninian – Child of Destiny: Ninian gave up her people and her immortality for a short, yet joy-filled life with Eliwood. Her pregnancy and birth of her son, Roy, was heralded by a new calendar holiday. Ninian spent many nights in quiet debate with Eliwood as to whether unleashing her dragon form would aid stopping the river of blood unleashed by Karel, but Eliwood would have none of it. She became a godmother to the children of Nino and Jaffar at Nino's request. After the Massacre at Horned Ridge, she opened a fine arts school where she taught dancing lessons in her spare time.

Kaira – Famed Genius: Kaira dutifully attended the weddings of Eliwood and Ninian and Hector and Farina, respectively, before vanishing. Though Lycia, Etruria, Bern, and other countries all sought the mind of the tactician, she evaded all requests by retiring to the plains of Sacae. She met Lyndis there, where the two of them resumed the quiet life they had before all of this, living in an old cottage in the grasslands, where they cared for Florina, watched over by Guy and Rath. Eventually, Kaira admitted her love for Lyndis, and the two became a couple. She followed Guy to the Massacre at Horned Ridge, at Eliwood's request. She is reported to have died at the hands of Karel, but no body was ever recovered.

X – The Mistake: X revealed his identity to them all only after confronting his father, Bramimond. X admitted that he was a soulless morph created by Bramimond as a servant and as a weapon for use against dragons. X refused to serve his father and fled after the Scouring, stealing the Kéye Li'ink (one of the legendary weapons) and seeking to make his own way in Elibe. His personality shifts around each person, as does Bramimond's, but to a much smaller extent. X eventually went insane after viewing the self-destructive cycle of history, and developed a cynical joy for tweaking with people's destinies, which is why he chose to pursue Lyndis in the first place. X's confrontation with his father ended in bloodshed with X killing Bramimond. Athos chose not to interfere, stating that it simply wasn't his fight. After X's aide in defeating Nergal and the Fire Dragon at the Battle of Dragon's Gate, he proclaimed his love for Lyndis, insisting that while he may not have had a soul, she held his heart. X followed Nils through the portal and closed it from the other side. None have heard from him since, though it is rumoured that a green-clad assassin was seen standing alone in the aftermath of the Massacre at Horned Ridge.

Reviews much appreciated.


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